Just a day after Apple announced the new iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via satellite feature, Elon Musk shared that SpaceX is in discussions with Apple about using its Starlink constellation to beam satellite-to-cellular service directly to the iPhone devices. He revealed the information in response to a Twitter user who said they hope SpaceX collaborates with Apple to help with SOS connectivity.
"We’ve had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. iPhone team is obv[iously] super smart," said Musk, "For sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if phone software & hardware adapt to space-based signals vs Starlink purely emulating cell tower," he wrote on September 8.
We’ve had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. iPhone team is obv super smart.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 8, 2022
For sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if phone software & hardware adapt to space-based signals vs Starlink purely emulating cell tower.
According to a regulatory filing, Apple partnered with network provider Globalstar, Inc., to power the satellite infrastructure that will help connect iPhone users to Emergency SOS in areas without cellular reception. Last month, SpaceX and T-Mobile announced they partnered to connect T-Mobile customers to satellite-to-cellular service with the Starlink satellite constellation to send text messages and make voice calls in areas without cellular connectivity. The next-generation Starlink V2 [Version 2] satellites will be equipped with large antennas, capable of beaming T-Mobile service directly to smartphones. However, the Apple service will differ from what T-Mobile plans to provide, Apple’s Emergency SOS is a satellite texting service that is only designed to message emergency responders.
Featured Image Source: Getty Images / SpaceX Logos
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
