Following The Footsteps Of Apple And Huawei, Samsung Prepares To Integrate Satellite Communication In Future Smartphones

Not to be outdone by Apple and Huawei, Samsung is also planning to incorporate satellite connectivity options in its Galaxy phones. This is not a difficult decision to make.

Apple has attracted a lot of attention with a feature that has been active since November and is restricted to the US and Canada for the time being.

In limited ways, it would take us 15 seconds to send a simple SOS message in clear conditions, or a few minutes in overcast conditions, but Apple will invest millions of dollars in new Globalstar satellites to service maintenance and expansion. Therefore, we can expect it to be fully operational and widespread when deployed.

However, satellite connectivity on phones will become the norm in the future, and Samsung won't want to be left behind. However, which service Samsung will use remains a mystery.

With Apple using most of Globalstar's network for the emergency SOS feature on the iPhone 14 and future iPhones, Samsung may have to switch to another satellite connection provider.

In a recent SEC filing, Globalstar reported that it will "provide 85% of current and future network capacity" to Apple, thereby generating revenue over the years.

Instead of going after Apple's satellite connectivity provider, Samsung could turn to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service.

Previously, Apple also negotiated with SpaceX about this possibility, but in the end the Cupertino-based company chose to partner with Globalstar.

On the other hand, Starlink is working with the ambitious 5G DISH carrier, which has multiple 12GHz spectrum bands, and also wants to use it to deploy 5G terrestrial networks.

According to SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, the move could render its satellite services virtually inoperable, so it remains to be seen how Samsung will decide.