Vodafone Taps Amazon Leo to Expand Satellite Backhaul Across Europe and Africa
Vodafone has signed an agreement with Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, to connect remote 4G and 5G mobile sites across Europe and Africa. The deal focuses on satellite backhaul rather than direct-to-device services, using satellites to link rural base stations to Vodafone’s core network where fibre or fixed wireless connections are difficult or costly to deploy.
Initial rollouts will begin in Germany and other European markets before expanding across Africa through Vodacom. The first sites are expected to go live in 2026 as Amazon Leo expands its constellation.
The move reflects growing use of non-terrestrial networks as a practical extension of terrestrial mobile infrastructure. Amazon Leo’s network is pitched as offering high-capacity backhaul, with speeds of up to 1 Gbps downlink and 400 Mbps uplink, making it suitable for 4G and 5G traffic. Vodafone also sees the system as a resilience layer: satellite links can maintain connectivity for critical services when terrestrial infrastructure is damaged or disrupted, particularly during floods or other emergencies.