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How to connect to an Emergency SOS satellite on your iPhone
The Emergency SOS via satellite is a nifty iOS feature that you'll hopefully never have to use
Emergency SOS via satellite is a new feature that allows you to connect your iPhone to a satellite and text emergency services, share your location, or contact roadside assistance. While you may hopefully never have to use it, this can be a great way to establish contact if you're stranded in a remote location without access to Wi-Fi or cellular networks.
AT&T and SpaceMobile flaunt 5G's capabilities by phoning home from space
A major breakthrough as an everyday smartphone connects seamlessly with a satellite
Space-based telecommunications aren't exactly new. But while previous endeavors have had companies like Nokia mulling over 4G connections on the moon, a recent breakthrough puts terrestrial 5G connectivity quite literally in the stratosphere. AST SpaceMobile, in collaboration with AT&T, is hyping up a noteworthy achievement in telecommunications. Together, the two companies successfully established the world’s first 5G connection for voice and data between an everyday, unmodified smartphone and a satellite in space.
What is Starlink?
Starlink's satellites are bringing the internet to the world. Here's how they work, what they're about, and what the future holds
If you've heard the name Starlink thrown around the past few years, you may wonder what the deal is. Sure, it has something to do with satellites and Elon Musk, but the details get fuzzy after that. After all, you're not likely to use Starlink unless you're in a rural or emergency-prone area. At least, not yet.
Apple just pushed ahead of Google in the race for pocket satellite connectivity
The iPhone 15 will feature always-connected roadside assistance
The race for dominance in satellite connectivity among leading smartphone manufacturers is accelerating at an impressive pace. Apple, ever the innovator and never one to trail its competitors for too long, has recently unveiled a significant upgrade to its Roadside Assistance feature. This enhancement, unique to recent iPhone models, now benefits from robust satellite support.
Motorola's satellite-connectivity upgrade for your smartphone has arrived
Motorola Defy Satellite Link lets you connect to text messaging and emergency SOS
If Hollywood is anything to go by, satellite phones are reserved for extreme tasks like contacting ground control from a spaceship, or when you're trapped on an island full of dinosaurs. Still, hikers, sailors, and others who regularly go off-grid can also find themselves outside cellular coverage and in need of help. While everyone from Samsung to Qualcomm is working to bring native satellite support to Android phones, Apple got a head start with the iPhone 14, which supports emergency SOS via satellite. But now the rest of us who venture into uncharted territory can breathe a sigh of relief, as Motorola begins sales of its Defy Satellite Link, bringing satellite two-way messaging to your existing smartphone.
How to find satellite images for any place on earth
Explore the world around you without ever leaving your house
Google Maps is a popular tool that has existed for many decades, allowing us to view live satellite images of the world. It enables us to learn about or explore our local community. It also helps us navigate to different locations via detailed travel directions. You'll never worry about getting lost again when you pair Google Maps and GPS with one of the best Android phones. This guide discusses the various ways to view satellite imagery of Earth from your smartphone or desktop computer.
MediaTek's satellite connectivity is set to be much more powerful than the iPhone's
Motorola and CAT are bringing the first few Android phones with NTN connectivity
Not too long ago, satellite phones fell under the category of military gear. The iPhone 14 changed that for good, introducing limited satellite connectivity for the average smartphone. Now, Qualcomm is developing Snapdragon Satellite with Google, and Samsung has announced a new Exynos modem capable of satellite communication. At MWC 2023, MediaTek plans to unveil its satellite connectivity chip alongside three new devices that sport this technology coming from Bullitt, Motorola, and Cat.
Snapdragon Satellite will power Android's answer to Apple's Emergency SOS
Users won’t be limited to emergency use applications only
Mobile phones were a huge step up from landlines, and satellite connectivity on smartphones could be the next major advancement to watch out for. We are already on track, it appears, with Apple’s iPhone 14 supporting emergency SOS communication via satellite. Now, Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon Satellite at CES 2023, enabling two-way satellite communication for the best Android smartphones without restricting applications to SOS alerts.
Everything you need to know about Starlink
The only internet service provider powered by SpaceX satellites
Many parts of the world still struggle to maintain or even offer basic internet connectivity in 2022. Those who are connected in these areas must deal with slow speeds and unreliable service. Starlink is bringing next-generation satellite internet to our homes, with initial support coming soon for the best Android phones.
T-Mobile and SpaceX recently teamed up and announced efforts to end network dead zones for good using low-orbit satellites. Further, Apple is rumored to include satellite connectivity for emergency SOS in at least some iPhone 14 models due to launch on September 7. Given the push toward satellite connectivity, it is only a matter of time before Android smartphone makers also get involved. To make things easier for them, Hiroshi Lockheimer—SVP of Android and other Google services—has confirmed that the next Android release will have satellite support baked in.
Starlink satellite internet is speedier than ever in North America
New data shows download and upload speeds increasing significantly since Q1 2021
While residents of metropolitan areas usually have a lot of internet providers to pick from, the same can't be said about consumers in rural parts of the world. SpaceX launched Starlink as an effective means of providing high-speed internet in such areas. The service has been around for a couple of years now, with the beta going up in late 2020. More recently, Starlink reached a noteworthy milestone by averaging 100 Mbps download speeds in 15 countries. Ookla is now sharing the latest Starlink speed data, highlighting the service's growth around the world since Q1 2021.
SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet now averages more than 100 Mbps
It might be faster than your wired internet
Until recently, satellite internet was a last resort for people in rural areas, but you might actually want satellite internet if Starlink keeps up like this. The service, which was in beta until just a few months ago, now averages more than 100 Mbps down in 15 countries, according to Speedtest.net operator Ookla.
The last year or so has been rough for Dish Network Corp. The company bled subscribers with an overall revenue loss in the billions, and its 5G rollout stalled due to a variety of difficulties. But Dish plans to have some kind of basic wireless service in place by the second quarter of 2022 no matter what.
SpaceX kicks off beta access for controversial Starlink satellite internet service
Middling speeds, high prices, and a lot of potential
Elon Musk's SpaceX is known for sending things into space, but the company is also testing sending things down from space: satellite internet signals, to be precise. Earlier this week, people who expressed interest in the Starlink internet service received an email inviting them to participate in a new trial that's starting up. But temper your expectations — SpaceX is calling this the "Better Than Nothing Beta" for a reason.
Zoleo adds satellite-based texting to any smartphone for the low price of $200
"r u 🧗 on the top of the mountain ⛰️ yet?"
Satellite phones are great and all, but what if you want to send text messages from remote locations? Toronto-based tech company Zoleo believes it has the solution: a large device of the same name that connects to your smartphone, granting you the ability to send and receive messages with hundreds of characters from anywhere on Earth.
U.S. FCC chairman Ajit Pai took to Twitter today, outlining a plan to auction a portion of the valuable so-called "C band" frequencies for 5G use. There's one potential hiccup: parts of that C-band spectrum are currently used by some satellite service providers to deliver media to ~120 million American subscribers, but Pai believes that a portion of the frequencies can be auctioned and repurposed to satisfy American thirst for data, while still preserving a solid chunk for satellite programming.
We humans have always loved looking up to the stars, but for a few decades, the night sky hasn't only been populated by natural phenomena. A plethora of satellites are orbiting our planet, and if you know just when to look up, you might even be able to see some flying over your head. Google graphics and computer vision engineer James Darpinian has developed a web app that helps you identify where to look to spot these objects by utilizing Street View and browser notifications as well as weather warnings.
Satellite phones are typically bulky and expensive, since they require specialized hardware for sending communications into Earth orbit. However, it may be possible in the near future for regular smartphones to connect to telecommunications satellites, using technology demonstrated by Ubiquitilink Inc.During a briefing at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Ubiquitilink claimed that a collection of satellites in orbit (acting as cell towers) could give a low-bandwidth connection to any phone in the world. This is supposedly made possible by three components — the satellites have to be in a very low orbit (about 500km/310 miles above the surface), the RF beam used for transmissions has to be narrow, and the wavelength of transmissions has to be extended.The company says that most phones made in the past decade have the hardware required to connect to these satellites, but software modifications are required. This is because most phones are built around the assumption that cell towers cannot be more than 30 km (18 miles) away, since the curvature of the Earth generally prevents signals from transmitting farther than that. Once Ubiquitilink modified a phone's wireless stacks to account for the longer distance, it successfully connected to a 2G satellite in orbit.Charles Miller, founder of Ubiquitilink, plans for the company to become a worldwide roaming operator that mobile networks will pay to access. That's a long way off, though — at least a thousand satellites are reportedly required, but the service would work with fewer in limited passes. For example, customers might not have a signal for 55 minutes, then receive service for five minutes (when the satellites pass over your location). That's certainly better than no service at all."Nobody should ever die because the phone in their pocket doesn’t have signal," Miller said. “If you break down in the middle of Death Valley you should be able to text 911. Our vision is this is a universal service for emergency responders and global E-911 texting. We’re not going to charge for that."Image credit: NASA Image and Video LibrarySource: TechCrunch
Google Maps has had a satellite view available for many years on multiple platforms, but for some reason, it never made its way to the Android Auto app - that is, until now. A reader sent in a tip showcasing satellite view while navigating with his Android Auto-equipped head unit, and it looks exactly as you'd expect.
Thuraya Telecommunications Company announced the world's first satellite smartphone, the Thuraya X5-Touch, at its partner conference in Dubai today, according to a press release. Thuraya is targeting the phone at "users who frequently move in and out of terrestrial coverage," like government and non-profit workers.