Ukrainian Vodafone used Starlink to restore the mobile network in the city destroyed by the Russians
For the first time in the history of Ukraine and one of the first in the world, the work of a part of the mobile operator’s network was organized thanks to Starlink satellite technologies.
Vodafone has launched a base station near Irpin and Romanivka in 2G and 4G configurations, using SpaceX’s Starlink kit as a transport network at the station.
Connecting the site to satellite Internet allowed to ensure the smooth operation of the network segment, even lacking Internet access through a traditional underground transport network. Thanks to this scheme of work, Vodafone was able to quickly restore mobile communications in areas with damaged nodes.
This is currently the first case in Ukraine and one of the first in the world when the operation of a mobile operator’s network is backed up via satellite. In terms of technology convergence, this is the second case in the world after Japan, where KDDI has already launched a similar solution, and in terms of extreme conditions – the first in the world.