Apple recently launched its latest iPhone 14 series with an emergency feature called satellite connectivity. This is one of the strengths of the iPhone range. Now, Samsung is rumored to be planning to bring the feature to its future handsets as well. Also Read – After iPhone 14 Launch, Older iPhones Get Price Cut on Amazon, Flipkart
For the uninitiated, satellite connectivity allows users to make an emergency call even when there is no cellular signal coverage. This feature was also available in the Huawei Mate 50 series. Read also – The share of “Made in India” smartphones reaches 16% with 44 million units; Oppo takes the lead
Samsung’s future phones could come with satellite connectivity
As tipster Ricciolo reported, Samsung will bring this feature in the upcoming Galaxy smartphones, however, it is unconfirmed if it will be available in the upcoming Galaxy S23 series. Also Read – Great Indian Festival Amazon Sale: Best deals on OnePlus 10T, Realme Narzo 50A and more
Satellite connectivity for the Apple iPhone 14 series will only be available to users in the United States and Canada. It will go live for users from November this year and the service will be free for two years. Chances are the feature will roll out to more countries later this year.
samsung to jump on the “SOS satellite S***” train.. #Next
—Ricciolo (@Ricciolo1) September 15, 2022
A report of PhoneArena reveals that instead of turning to Apple’s satellite connection provider, Samsung will likely turn to Elon Musk for the feature, whose Starlink satellite service is now live in some locations.
Starlink was apparently in talks with Apple for the emergency feature, but Apple decided to go ahead with Globalstar. Apparently, in its recent SEC filing, Globalstar indicated that it would “provide 85% of its current and future network capacity” to Cupertino-based tech giant Apple.
For the uninitiated, unlike cellular connectivity, satellite connectivity takes some time to establish. In addition to that, you also need to know where to point the device to get a stable connection. Indeed, satellites move targets with a low bandwidth. It may even take a few minutes for the messages to get through.