Vodafone Group has announced plans to use Amazon Leo, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network developed by Amazon, to connect 4G and 5G base stations in remote Europe and Africa back into its core network. This move aims to replace the costly business of running fibre or microwave links from a rural mast to the operator's backbone. The partnership aims to connect sites that have long been waiting for decent backhaul. The initial rollout will begin in Germany and other European markets later this year, then extend to VodAFone’s African unit, Vodacom, as Amazon continues to build out the Leo constellation.