Apple is expected to reveal the new iPhone 14 series on September 7. According to a recent source, Apple and Globalstar may reveal a cooperative initiative, due to which the devices will gain satellite connectivity.
The news was released following a similar announcement by T-Mobile and SpaceX, that will result in the usage of the latter’s satellite to extend coverage for T-Mobile subscribers.
This will allow them to send and receive messages even without cellular connectivity. iPhones may also come up with something similar to this.
A well-known telecoms expert, Tim Farrar, thinks that the recent T-Mobile announcement was real because the company tried to spread the word before Apple announced its own agreement. According to reports, Globalstar purchased 17 satellites early this year to utilize with a “possible client”. As stated by MacRumors, the satellites are designed to offer “constant satellite services”.
According to Farrar, Apple’s service will be provided without cost for conversational texting, only at launch. It will be using the previous satellite spectrum, with no FCC regulation change needed. Comparatively, SpaceX and T-Mobile decide to grasp T-Mobile’s mid-brand 5G spectrum to support MMS, SMS texting, and select messaging apps, but Farrar thinks that this large-scale strategy will run into regulatory obstacles globally.
The new network wouldn’t serve as a substitute for conventional cellular connectivity. In fact, it will be considerably slower than conventional connections, but it would let users send texts in urgent situations. It would be very useful for the users when there is an absence of cellular service.
Apple has already announced a future event for September, possibly alluding to a space-related capability like “communication through satellite”.