Vodafone Group is also one of the companies that has a financial stake in the satellite firm. "We have taken another major step in mobile communications," noted interim Vodafone group CEO, Margherita Della Valle. "Thirty years after Vodafone sent the world's first text message, we supported AST SpaceMobile in successfully making the first ever direct-to-smartphone test call using satellite communications. This is just the start. As a lead investor in AST SpaceMobile, we will continue to break technological boundaries by connecting many more millions of people across the planet when the service becomes commercially available," she added. AST SpaceMobile has so far raised $725m from multiple investors, including Rakuten and American Tower as well as Vodafone, to fund its development and launches. And the opportunity?