Quite a few people have purchased Apple’s iPhone 12 since its release, thanks to the launch of 5G. The iPhone appears to be getting another radio technology update this year as Apple looks to keep up the momentum.
LEO Satellite Communication:
As Ming-Chi Kuo wrote today in an investor note, the upcoming iPhone 13 models will include a low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite communications mode. A user of the iPhone 13 would be able to send messages and make phone calls, even when outside the range of 4G/5G cell towers.
From a story published in 2019, Bloomberg first reported Apple’s investigation into using satellite technology to beam data to iPhones. We are however hearing for the first time that this feature will be available as part of the iPhone 13 line in 2021 and beyond.
Kuo suggests that LEO satellite communication may also be used by the upcoming Apple AR headset, the Apple Car, and other Internet-of-Things accessories in the future.
According to Kuo, the iPhone 13 will utilize Qualcomm’s X60 baseband modem chip. Communications over satellite will be enabled by this chip.
The question is whether satellite communications would work only with Apple’s mobile services like iMessage and FaceTime. If Apple could proxy satellite communications to cellular towers on the other end. Satellite features like GPS are also unclear, as is whether they will be free of charge or require a fee for use.
The next iPhone 13 lineup is expected to be announced by Apple in September. The phones’ screens and form factors will be most like those of the iPhone 12. In addition to improved camera systems, the Pro models will include a higher-refresh rate display. It is also comes with smaller notch on the display. It is certainly exciting to learn about satellite features in today’s news regarding the rumored phone models for this year.
