Virgin Media O2 is set to become the first mobile operator to offer UK customers automatic connectivity via satellite in places without mobile signal. O2 Satellite will be an optional service due to launch in the first half of 2026. The firm has not yet revealed how much it will cost, but it will be an additional fee to pay each month. O2 has partnered with Elon Musk's satellite business Starlink to offer the service. Enabled smartphones will automatically switch to satellite coverage in parts of the UK where there is no terrestrial signal available - for example in rural areas.

Expanded use of satellites may offer another acceleration catalyst to digital transformation, edge computing, and other evolving aspects of enterprise technology. That was a key takeaway from a panel of experts and industry stakeholders at last week's Satellite 2022 conference, held in-person and via livestream. During the discussion, those panelists hashed out some of the possibilities that satellite connectivity, supported by AI, can bring to digital transformation and the enterprise IoT market. The session, "Bandwidth-as-a-Service: A New Revolution in AI-Powered Satellite Connectivity," included Muneer Zuhdi, head of cognitive cities and industries for MEA enterprise with Nokia; Charles Ferland, vice president and general manager for edge computing and telecom with Lenovo; Jean-Philippe Gillet, vice president and general manager of networks for Intelsat US; executives from DETASAD; and Darren Pralle, senior director of product management with ST Engineering iDirect. The panelists talked up the infrastructure and data analytics possibilities that may expand further thanks to satellite communications, which are increasingly intersecting with cloud and other services.

Expanded use of satellites may offer another acceleration catalyst to digital transformation, edge computing, and other evolving aspects of enterprise technology. That was a key takeaway from a panel of experts and industry stakeholders at last week's Satellite 2022 conference, held in-person and via livestream. During the discussion, those panelists hashed out some of the possibilities that satellite connectivity, supported by AI, can bring to digital transformation and the enterprise IoT market. The session, "Bandwidth-as-a-Service: A New Revolution in AI-Powered Satellite Connectivity," included Muneer Zuhdi, head of cognitive cities and industries for MEA enterprise with Nokia; Charles Ferland, vice president and general manager for edge computing and telecom with Lenovo; Jean-Philippe Gillet, vice president and general manager of networks for Intelsat US; executives from DETASAD; and Darren Pralle, senior director of product management with ST Engineering iDirect. The panelists talked up the infrastructure and data analytics possibilities that may expand further thanks to satellite communications, which are increasingly intersecting with cloud and other services.