Something many expect Apple to announce today is a satellite text feature, designed for use in emergencies in isolated areas where no cellular coverage is available. But if so, Huawei has just beaten Apple in announcing the feature, noting that it will be available in the Mate 50.
However, the US embargo on Huawei products means that Apple would still be first to a US launch …
Background
Reports of Apple’s interest in satellite communications date back to 2017, when the company was said to have recruited two top execs in the field of satellite design, and to be in talks with Boeing.
At the time, it was speculated that Apple’s interest might be in expanding broadband access to less populated areas.
By 2019, it seemed the iPhone maker was getting more invested in satellite tech, and it was last year suggested that Apple was more interested in satellite comms for iPhones than in satellite broadband more generally. Indeed, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the feature would launch in the iPhone 13.
Ming-Chi Kuo today said that he expects the upcoming iPhone 13 models to feature a low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite communication mode. This would allow an iPhone 13 user to send messages and make phone calls, even when they are not within standard 4G/5G cell tower coverage […]
Kuo says that the iPhone 13 will use a customized version of the Qualcomm X60 baseband modem chip. This chip will support communications over satellite.
Kuo turned out to be correct about the hardware – meaning that the iPhone 13 does have the technical capability to communicate with satellites – but wrong about Apple activating the capability.
The rumors are back for this year, and have been given additional weight by two things. First, T-Mobile has announced its intention to make satellite communication available to its subscribers. Second, Apple’s event being named Far Out and given a space-themed visual.
Satellite text feature for Huawei Mate 50
Huawei launched its new Mate 50 and Mate 50 Pro handsets just a day before the iPhone 14 event, with The Verge noting that one of the features highlighted is a satellite text feature.
Huawei has announced the Mate 50 series, a day ahead of Apple’s September event and with a feature that the iPhone 14 is expected to offer: the ability to send texts via satellite communication. The Mate 50 and Mate 50 Pro will be able to send short texts and utilize navigation thanks to China’s global BeiDou satellite network, allowing for communication in areas without cellular signal […]
Based on Huawei’s description of the system, it looks like the Mate 50 phones will only be able to send texts by satellite, and won’t be able to receive them. In all of these cases, satellite-based texting aims to provide an emergency connection in places without signal to get urgent messages out, rather than a way to keep up with your group chats while you’re out of cell range.
Apple could still be first in the US
An embargo on Huawei products means that the company’s latest smartphones cannot be sold here, meaning that Apple could still be first to launch the feature in the US.
There are a number of possibilities for satellite comms in the iPhone 14:
- Outgoing text messages only, for emergency distress messages
- Two-way text messaging, but still only for use with emergency services
- Text messaging with anyone
- Phone calls, too
Satellite comms is either expensive or slow. Unless you want to lay out a lot of cash for a satellite broadband service like SpaceX’s Starlink, then you’re looking at a low-bandwidth service really only suitable for small amounts of text. Calls require significantly more bandwidth, so the smart money is on a text-only service initially.
It remains possible that Apple will sit tight for now, knowing that both the iPhone 13 and 14 have the necessary hardware, enabling it to launch a satellite comms update at a later date. However, given the space theme to the event, my money is on an announcement today.
One question remains: Will Apple also make the feature available on the iPhone 13, which already has the required radio chip? Given that it’s an emergency feature that could save lives, you’d hope so – but Apple may not want to dim the star of the iPhone 14, at least, not right away.
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