According to the latest report, the iPhone 13 will receive support for satellite communications, allowing you to make calls and send messages outside of cellular coverage, possibly via SpaceX’s Starlink. According to Kuo, the iPhone 13 will work with low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications, he writes in a note to investors. In any case, the hardware is suitable for it, but whether Apple will activate it is not yet 100% certain.
However, it does offer advantages: in places where there is no 4G or 5G coverage (for example on a cruise ship) you can then make calls and use the internet. Apple is said to be planning to put a modified version of the Qualcomm X60 baseband chip in the iPhone 13. Other smartphone manufacturers would like to wait a little longer, namely for the X65 chip that will appear in 2022.
One of the providers of satellite communications is SpaceX with Starlink. However, there is a greater chance that Apple will partner with Globalstar because Qualcomm is already working with them. According to Kuo, the simplest scenario is for users to connect to Globalstar’s satellites through their own network operator. Bloomberg also reported in 2019 that Apple was exploring satellite technology to send data to iPhones. Now it really seems to be coming to a device.
Satellite communications via the LEO satellites will be just as influential as 5G mmWave, according to Kuo. He thinks Apple will benefit from both technologies. Apple is said to be very optimistic about the possibilities and set up a special team a while ago to investigate it. Satellite communication could become available in even more devices in the future, such as in a future car.
The iPhone has been connecting to navigation satellites ( Galileo, QXSS and GLONASS ) for years, but this is a one-way street. The iPhone only uses GPS satellites for location determination but does not return any data itself. With the communication satellites discussed here, it is precisely the intention that communication takes place in two directions.
