Last year in September, Apple & Huawei introduced the next big thing in the smartphone industry that was out of this world, quite literally. It was Satellite Connectivity on a mainstream smartphone. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Models came with satellite connectivity that allowed a phone to connect to a low-orbit satellite and send an SOS message even when there is no cellular signal reception. Android too doesn’t intend to remain far behind as it has promised to bring satellite connectivity to some of the major flagships that will launch in 2024.
Before Satellite Connectivity becomes a common feature, let us understand what it actually is, how it works, who all offer it, and which smartphones will feature it.
Satellite Connectivity
A Satellite Phone is a phone that connects to a telephone network through satellites that orbit the Earth. These are large bulky devices that are used by army soldiers stationed in remote areas. To date, this connectivity has not been found on modern-day smartphones but that is changing now.
Connections made over satellites come under the ambit of satellite connectivity. How cell phones are different from satellite phones needs to be understood before we discuss what satellite connectivity is on a modern-day smartphone.
Satellite Phones Vs Cell Phones
There is a fundamental difference in the way signals are transmitted by satellite phones and smartphones.
A smartphone (Cell phone) connects to a cell tower on land. If the earth is a grid then each small unit of it is an individual cell that needs a cell tower to get a network. The closer you are to the cell tower, the better reception you will get. When you move from one cell to another, your phone switches to cell towers. However, your phone will lose signal if a cell tower is not nearby. In this case, you won’t be able to receive any calls or send messages and neither will you be able to access the internet. This can cause a problem in areas with limited or no connectivity if there is an emergency.
This is where Satellite Phones come in. Instead of looking for a cell tower, these phones connect to satellites that orbit the Earth. The signal from the phone is transmitted to the nearest satellite and each satellite covers a good amount of area of the earth. It needs an open sky and a line of sight between the phone and the satellite. This doesn’t need a dense network of cell towers. Building cell towers everywhere is difficult and since satellites don’t need land-based towers, it makes them crucial for areas where the network is low or unavailable.
Now let us see how this satellite connectivity is being incorporated in modern smartphones.
ALSO READ: What is Snapdragon Satellite and how it operates?
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Satellite Connectivity in Modern Smartphones
Satellite phones need different connectivity hardware than cell phones and thus have remained a narrow niche to date. Now, cell phones have evolved into smartphones that can do more than connect to a cell network and let you call or send text messages. The tech has now evolved where satellite connectivity can be included in modern smartphones. All the features of satellite phones can’t come to smartphones but it can surely meet emergency needs and send distress signals. In the future, satellite connectivity will evolve more on smartphones but as of now its usage is limited.
Currently, satellite connectivity options on smartphones focus on SOS messages. Two-way messaging will come to modern devices in the future but for now, it is a distant reality.
Let us have a look at all the agencies aiming to offer Satellite connectivity on Modern Smartphones.
1. Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite
Apple is one of the two agencies that have introduced satellite connectivity on its iPhones. The iPhone 14 and its siblings are the first popular devices to offer satellite connectivity though it is still restricted to limited countries.
Apple has taken hardware hardware-centric approach so you will need to have an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. The feature is not available on older iPhones as they don’t feature special antennas for satellite connectivity.
At the time of announcement, satellite connectivity on iPhones was available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, and France. Apple also announced that it will be free to use for the first 2 years. The brand aims to expand satellite connectivity to other regions as well and it has partnered with Globalstar to provide this service.
There is a special app to help users position their devices optimally. To use it, one must be in a location without a network signal and dialing for an emergency. The iPhone will then suggest emergency SOS via satellite and will forward your text along with your location to the nearest emergency service. Apple has also established a ground relay service that will call emergency services if they do not accept texts.
For now, it is a one-way messaging service so you can’t receive responses to the messages you send. It went live in November 2022 and was the first satellite connectivity service to be made available to consumers at a large level.
How SOS Satellite Connectivity has saved lives
Within a year of going live, Apple has declared that the satellite connectivity service is a life-saving feature. In fact, the brand started 2023’s iPhone launch by showcasing stories of people whose lives were saved because of Apple’s emergency messaging services.
For example, Antonio Femiano was caught in a blizzard as hypothermia set in. He used Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone to get rescued. Stephen Watts got trapped mile off trail while rappelling and used Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone and was airlifted out.
2. T-Mobile & SpaceX’s Satellite Partnership
Before Apple announced satellite connectivity, T-Mobile announced its partnership with SpaceX to provide satellite connectivity on smartphones through Starlink satellites. The highlight is that this doesn’t need a dedicated satellite phone or even satellite connectivity tech in your phone to use it. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will be used to broadcast a new network on T-Mobile’s 1900MHz mid-band spectrum, so your existing 5G smartphone should be connected to it just fine. So, when a T-Mobile subscriber does not have a ground cell tower nearby, they will be able to connect to this new network and send SMS, and MMS and use “select messaging apps.”
Voice and data connectivity are promised to be added in the future but for now, expectations should be kept grounded, because it might take long before these actually get added.
3. Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite for Android
Since Apple has rolled out satellite connectivity, Android companies won’t remain far behind. In January 2023, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon satellite for Android. It is similar to Apple’s emergency SOS feature but expands its uses. It promises a two-way messaging feature and it was first made available on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The technology can’t be made available to already existing devices as they didn’t have the hardware antenna needed. Qualcomm partnered with Iridium for this service and the service remains limited to North America and Europe. In the future, more Qualcomm chipsets will have satellite connectivity and more smartphones will come with satellite connectivity.
4. MediaTek Satellite Connectivity Chipsets
MediaTek announced its chipset with Satellite Connectivity during MWC 2023. There were 2 SoCs that would enable two-way satellite communication on smartphones. Both are based on an open, proprietary standard and don’t require smartphones to have a MediaTek CPU. So MediaTek can add satellite connectivity to any 4G or 5G smartphone, regardless of its primary SoC.
5. Samsung’s Exynos Modems with Satellite Connectivity
Samsung will join the race with Exynos modems. Samsung has announced that it will enable two-way satellite messaging. It will work on an Exynos 5300 modem to connect low-Earth orbit satellites. The functionality will remain limited and the upcoming Galaxy S24 Series smartphones are rumored to come with it.
Why Does One Need Satellite Connectivity on their Phone?
Satellite Connectivity has important but niche and limited usage. The technology will not be cheap. Either it will come with a device like an iPhone or will have a subscription that has to be paid for. This will include paying per message. However, considering the kind of usage it is offering, the charges might look justified. SOS Messaging using Satellite Connectivity is mostly used in emergency and distress situations and this kind of situation doesn’t show up with a warning. These can arrive any time and when they do, money will be the last thing on anyone’s mind. All you would want is to save life and escape the situation unharmed.
Ultimately, whether you should opt for satellite connectivity on your device or not depends on the kind of consumer you are. If you hardly leave the city and don’t like adventures, it might not be useful for you. However, if you are a traveler, or adventure junkie who loves going to remote areas, then these services will come in handy in emergency situations.
Pricing is also expected to get more balanced in upcoming years when satellite connectivity will start becoming common on more and more smartphones.
Smartphones with Satellite Connectivity (Existing and expected)
- Apple iPhone 14 Series (Existing)
- Apple iPhone 15 Series (existing)
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Series (expected)
- Huawei Mate 50 (existing)
- Huawei Mate 50 Pro (existing)
Google is also working on implementing Satellite Connectivity.
During the MWC 2023, Qualcomm announced that brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, Nothing, and Honor are all working hard to bring satellite connectivity to their phones. However, specific device names are still unclear.
Is Satellite Connectivity on Smartphones Available in India?
While Apple introduced Satellite Connectivity on iPhones in 2022, it will take at least a year more for the feature to come to India. We are almost at the end of 2023 and till now no consumer smartphone in India supports satellite connectivity feature. In 2022, Anil Prakash, director-general of the industry body, SIA, said that the center is evaluating how users can get easy access to the feature in India. However, there has hardly been any progress on that front as challenges are huge and expensive prices are a major roadblock. However, there is hope that things will change soon and satellite connectivity might come to India in 2024.
For all the latest updates on this, stay tuned to this space.
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