WSJ:
One of the biggest technological changes announced Wednesday was the arrival of satellite connectivity for smartphones. The new service, called Emergency SOS via satellite, will allow iPhone 14 users to send special low-bandwidth text messages to emergency responders through space-based relays. Apple said the service will launch in November in the U.S. and Canada. The company plans to offer the service for free for two years.
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Smartphones have long been used the U.S. Global Positioning System’s existing network of satellites for wayfinding, but technical limitations have typically kept consumer-grade devices from reaching space-borne communications networks. The power needed to send a strong signal skyward has restricted the market to heavy, expensive satellite phones from specialists including Iridium Communications Inc. and Globalstar Inc.
New constellations of satellites with Earth-hugging orbits have brought the technology within reach, though smartphones still need microchips and antennas capable of reaching them. Apple said it spent years working on the technology, which uses an app to tell users where in the sky to point the device.
Globalstar confirmed in a regulatory filing Wednesday that it will supply the new Apple service using spectrum licenses it already holds. The Covington, La., company has international licenses to send space-to-ground signals over 11.5 megahertz of wireless spectrum.
Using a one-stop shop for regulatory licenses could allow Apple to eventually offer its satellite service outside of North America. Other companies pursuing satellite-phone services could face the need for individual government approvals in each country where they plan to offer service.
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Originally Posted by Chance
