MTN South Africa and Lynk Global just pulled off something big—they made Africa’s first phone call via satellite.

This could be a game-changer for people in remote areas who struggle with poor network coverage.

Think about it: If you live in a big city, you rarely worry about dropped calls. But in rural areas, building cell towers is expensive and not always practical. That’s where satellites—especially low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites—come in. They can beam network signals directly to your phone, no extra equipment needed.

The test call happened in Vryburg, a town in South Africa’s North West province. And here’s the cool part—it was made using a regular smartphone. No fancy satellite phone, no extra gadgets. Just a normal phone connecting to an LEO satellite. MTN South Africa’s CEO, Charles Molapisi, said the trial was part of the company’s mission to improve network access in hard-to-reach areas. The test had the green light from South Africa’s telecom regulator, ICASA, which means it was all official.

MTN isn’t the only company looking at satellites for better coverage. They’ve been in talks with big names like Omnispace, OneWeb, Starlink, and AST SpaceMobile. Other telecom giants like Vodacom and Cell C are also moving in the same direction. In 2023, Vodacom teamed up with Amazon’s Project Kuiper to explore satellite connectivity. Meanwhile, Starlink, the company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, recently announced its direct-to-cell service, which lets standard phones connect directly to its satellites.

If satellite connectivity becomes widely available, it could unlock a massive market. According to GSMA Intelligence, telcos across Sub-Saharan Africa could tap into a $30 billion opportunity by 2035. That’s a huge deal, especially for regions where traditional network expansion has been slow or impossible. For now, the technology is still being tested, but this successful call is proof that satellite-powered mobile networks aren’t just science fiction—they’re becoming reality. If things go as planned, making a call from the middle of nowhere might soon be as easy as calling from downtown Johannesburg or Lagos.