India, June 19 -- Jumping on the satellite communications (satcom) bandwagon, Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced a partnership with US-based AST SpaceMobile to launch direct-to-device satellite broadband services in the country.

As part of the collaboration, Vi will leverage AST SpaceMobile's satellite constellation to offer voice, video, data streaming and internet access to customers in areas with sparse terrestrial mobile infrastructure. Simply put, Vi users will be able to access high-speed internet on standard smartphones in areas with coverage gaps without the need for any specialised equipment.

The deal will see the two companies working together to design, implement and launch the new system.

In a statement, Vi said that while AS...