Apple has big ambitions for the iPhone 14 satellite communication system. According to a patent, the Cupertino giant plans to extend the available features beyond emergency calls.
The iPhone 14 have a system satellite emergency calls. This feature allows users toget in touch with the emergency services by connecting to a network of satellites. Since its deployment, the option has already saved the lives of several people in difficulty in white areas. Initially reserved for North America, satellite calls have arrived in several other countries, including Francethis December 13, 2022.
Offered with the help of Globalstar, the feature is exclusively limited to emergency communications. It is not possible to text a loved one or call a friend while connecting to the Globalstar constellation. Deprived of a mobile network or Wi-Fi, an iPhone 14 user can only contact the emergency services.
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What future for the iPhone satellite connection?
In the future, Apple intends to go even further. According to a patent filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Cupertino giant plans toexpand the features offered via satellite communication from their iPhones. The patent, recently approved by the American authorities, describes a communications system, in particular by satellites, capable of transporting multimedia data, voice data and Internet data, detail our colleagues from Patently Apple.
Clearly, this device would allow you to watch streaming videos, make audio calls and consult web pages. Concretely, it would be possible touse satellites in the same way as a mobile operator’s network. The uses described by Apple’s patent correspond to the current uses of a smartphone user.
According to this patent, Apple plans to remove limitations of its satellite communication system. The functionality would no longer be confined to emergency calls and SMS. As soon as the mobile network or Wi-Fi is no longer up to par, it would be possible to switch to Globalstar satellites. De facto, iPhone users would be freed from white areas.
As always, there is no indication that Apple actually intends to exploit the technologies described in the patent in the near future. Note that it is not uncommon for the American giant to patent innovations without ever integrating them into products, solely in order to secure its inventions against the competition.
$450 million investment
To develop the satellite communication system of the iPhone 14, Apple has spent $450 million. This investment has enabled the brand to set up the infrastructure essential to the realization of its project. Apple notably injected part of the sum into new antennas on the ground for its partner Globalstar. In this context, it is not surprising that Tim Cook’s company aims to offer additional services to differentiate themselves from the competition.
For the record, other smartphone manufacturers are also looking into the possibilities offered by satellites. This is the case of Samsung, the number 1 in telephony. The Seoul giant is said to be working on an satellite communication system for two years. Expected on the Galaxy S23, this functionality looks different from the option integrated into the iPhone 14. Indeed, Samsung would not reserve the satellite connection for emergency calls. It would be possible to exchange messages and images, as long as the files are not too large. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that Apple decides to improve its proposal to meet its rival.
Patently Apple