In 2022, with the premiere of the iPhone 14 smartphones, Apple introduced the “Emergency SOS” service, which allows you to send a message via satellite in emergencies if you do not have mobile network coverage. In iOS 18, these capabilities have been increased, which means a significant investment in the expansion of the Globalstar constellation.
Apple wants to have its own constellation
Elon Musk predicted that satellite communication could play a significant role in the development of our civilization many years ago. Just a few years ago, this service was available only to selected people, mainly due to high costs. Starlink has significantly changed the landscape of the satellite industry, resulting in the popularization of once-exclusive services. This is how the ability to send messages via satellite came to iPhone smartphones in 2022. In this case, Apple uses the services of Globalstar, which operates a constellation of satellites in various orbits and provides communication around the world.
However, it seems that for the Cupertino giant, basic communication in emergencies is not enough. With the release of iOS 18, it is now possible to send longer text messages and emojis using the iMessage application and SMS, even in areas where there is no mobile network coverage. However, this requires greater bandwidth and, therefore, greater infrastructure capabilities. And this is the result of Apple’s latest investment, which bought 20% of shares in Globalstar for USD 400 million, and will also pay an additional USD 1.1 billion, which will be used to expand the entire constellation. Thus, Apple will become an important player in the satellite communications market.
This may also herald further expansion of the satellite communication capabilities of iPhone smartphones. This is quite interesting from the point of view of a similar service that SpaceX intends to implement together with the American T-Mobile network. In this case, satellite communication will be available for every phone, not only Apple smartphones. In Cupertino, however, they seem undeterred by this. What’s more, access to the satellite service is still free. Initially, this state of affairs was to continue for the first 2 years, but Apple extended free access for iPhone 14 owners until November 2025. Therefore, within a year at the earliest we will know the possible cost of access to this service and then it will be possible to assess its profitability. Opportunities will probably increase along the way, otherwise an investment of USD 1.5 billion would hardly make sense.
source: The Verge
Source: antyweb.pl
