Vodafone Group has inked a deal with Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network, to connect remote 4G and 5G mobile base stations across Europe and Africa without costly fibre backhaul. The service promises up to 1Gbps download and 400Mbps upload speeds for backhaul links that connect dispersed masts back to carrier networks, especially where fibre is hard or expensive to deploy. Initial deployments will start in Germany, then expand across Europe and into Africa via Vodacom, Vodafone’s African subsidiary.
This doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly connect your phone directly to a satellite (that’s a different story). Instead, it means Vodacom’s network infrastructure will be better connected, especially in hard-to-reach rural or underserved regions. For Safaricom users in Kenya, this isn’t just a corporate handshake. It’s the beginning of a network overhaul aimed at eliminating dead zones for good.
Interestingly, Vodacom signed a similar deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink late last year.
Why the airtime matters for Safaricom customers
Safaricom isn’t just another African telco in the ether. Thanks to COMESA approval of Vodacom’s bid to take majority control of Safaricom via acquisition of government and other stakes, Vodacom and Vodafone are increasingly in Safaricom’s strategic DNA.
That connection means several things for Safaricom users if Vodafone pushes Amazon Leo infrastructure into regions where Safaricom operates:
- Network resilience and rural coverage gains: Because Amazon Leo’s satellite backhaul solves the last mile problem of connecting base stations, areas where fibre is slow, broken, or too costly to install could see much stronger 4G/5G coverage. This is big for Kenya’s northern and other rural regions, where Safaricom can struggle to justify traditional backhaul costs.
- Potential performance boosts in underserved regions: With satellite-assisted backhaul, Safaricom could lean on Vodacom/Vodafone to supplement its network, especially as Safaricom expands 5G and data services beyond urban hubs.
- Emergency connectivity and network resilience: According to Vodafone statements, satellite links also act as fallback connectivity when fibre goes down due to weather or infrastructure failures. That trickles down to end users via fewer outages.
Safaricom fans shouldn’t expect Amazon Leo directly on their phones yet. But as Vodacom integrates the service across its African markets, Safaricom’s network footprint and quality could materially improve.
Airtel Africa already has Starlink
Airtel Africa recently signed a SpaceX Starlink partnership that aims to bring Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell satellite service to Airtel’s 14 African markets, enabling connectivity to compatible smartphones directly via satellites in areas without terrestrial coverage.
That’s a different play from Vodafone’s backhaul model. Airtel-Starlink’s focus is on direct satellite-to-phone connectivity in coverage blackspots. A user with a compatible handset could get voice/data via Starlink satellites even where there’s no mobile mast nearby. On the other hand, Vodafone-Amazon Leo’s focus is backhauling mobile infrastructure, meaning it strengthens operators’ own networks rather than bypassing them. Again, this is the same deal Vodacom signed with Starlink in 2025, meaning the Safaricom majority owner now has access to both Starlink and Amazon satellites.
Airtel is betting on Starlink to extend coverage directly to phones. Safaricom will be using Amazon Leo and Starlink to make its existing mobile network more robust and widespread, a complementary approach that still brings improved coverage for subscribers.
Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub noted that this partnership is key to reaching their target of 260 million customers by 2030. For Safaricom, it means the green logo will soon be backed by an orbital fleet of thousands of satellites.
Amazon expects the first mobile sites to go live later in 2026.
