The iPhone 14 may be able to send emergency SOS messages while in cell dead zones using a satellite connection, according to a new report by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.
This is a more reasonable version of the heated rumors that have been circulating around the iPhone 13 that this phone has a satellite connection. These rumors turned out to be untrue.
Instead, the next iPhone and potential future Apple Watch may have something like a SPOT satellite tracker. “The technology will allow users to send text messages to emergency personnel via satellite networks and report incidents,” says Gourmet. So far, devices with this capability tend to be relatively large and discreet, but Apple’s innovation may be to miniaturize the technology enough to fit in the phone.
When will all phones talk to satellites?
Dedicated satellite phones as well as satellite connectivity accessories for your smartphone have been around for years. They tend to be bulky and expensive because they need more radio power than a standard cell phone. They talk to existing satellite systems such as the constellation Globalstar, which orbits at about 876 miles and uses 25 years of CDMA coding technology.
But the advent of much lower orbital satellites and cheaper launch vehicles such as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets began to change the game. Very low orbital satellites, such as those used by Starlink, are easier to contact than with more distant birds. More is needed to cover any land area in a row, but this also significantly increases the data capacity of the entire constellation, as more satellites means more capacity. Starlink is currently orbiting at 340-350 miles and plans to orbit at 208 miles.
Two major companies are working to provide a satellite connection to your phone: Lynk and AST. Both are still just coming out of the ground, so to speak. Lynk wants to make deals with wireless operators to offer a backup service where those operators are not covered. He plans to launch a service with wireless operator Aliv in the Bahamas in mid-2020.
US consumers still don’t have to worry too much. There’s a big world there: Lynk has signed deals in the Bahamas, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Mongolia and the Central African Republic, according to news reports. The company’s CEO told Informa that it aims to ensure global connectivity by 2025.
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AST, which is still in the testing phase, has signed a deal with global carrier Orange.
Will the Apple modem be a satellite modem?
The moment here can be combined in what we can call the iPhone 17 cycle, in 2025. Apple is currently using Qualcomm modems to power its phones, but the company is developing its own modems and is expected to start including them in the iPhone in 2023 or 2024
If Apple thinks ahead and makes satellite a key part of its strategy, it could even make its own global deal with Lynk or AST and optimize its modem for its chosen provider. This could make 2025 a year without dead zones.
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