Internet on the move: from Apple to T-Mobile
Apple has announced that its new iPhone14 will be able to launch SOS messages via the Globalstar satellite network, a "small" constellation made up of 48 satellites that covers the entire globe excluding
only the polar areas. Globalstar offers its own service, but it requires a Globalstar phone (which has a black and white screen and few features) and it's not exactly cheap.
iPhone 14 will have an antenna capable of connecting to the Globalstar system to transmit the position in an emergency. The service, which will debut in November, will be paid, but for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro users it will be free for two years. Globalstar says that much of its transmission capacity will be diverted to this service.
Starting next year, T-Mobile , relying on Starlink, will offer a limited connectivity service to text messages even in areas without coverage. The service does not require a particular type of telephone, but it is not yet active because it can only be provided by the second generation Starlinks, equipped with larger antennas. The satellites are to be launched with the Starship rocket, not yet in service.
The Texan company Ast-Space Mobile also aims to provide global connection with a new satellite constellation, which will be able to interact directly with users' mobile phones (it is not yet known with what bit-rate, but these are details). Their test satellite, the Bluewalker-3 , left for space a few days ago, aboard a Falcon 9 and, once operational, will use a facility with an area of 64 square meters.
On the one hand there are solar panels, on the other hand there are antennas that will have to ensure communication with users on the ground. Ast-Space Mobile has Federal Communication Committee clearance to
conduct connection tests in Texas and Hawaii.
Sure, providing global coverage can be important for those in remote or underserved areas, but looking at the problem from another perspective, the surface of a small apartment in low orbit will be a spotlight that will cross the sky at sunset and beyond. dawn, when it is still dark on Earth but the maxi solar panel is already illuminated by the sun.
A new leisure opportunity for satellite hunters and a new concern for lovers of the dark sky. These alliances between ground telephony and in-orbit services certainly have interesting development opportunities and I believe they are destined to multiply, following the requests of users for ever better connection.
SpaceX absolute protagonist
In parallel, SpaceX focuses heavily on the internet on the move. In June, it obtained from the Federal Communication Committee the authorization to provide the Starlink service to moving vehicles: from cars, to trucks, to merchant ships, to planes.
SpaceX is courting airlines whose customers, especially in the business sector, want to stay connected while flying. The first company to announce an agreement with Elon Musk 's space company was Hawaiian Airlines, which said it would provide the service free of charge to its passengers starting next year.
The Hawaii-based airline flies between the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. At the moment, there is no Wi-Fi connectivity on board, as most of the flights are over the Pacific, where there is not a great supply of internet services. Starlink will make a difference once details such as the certification of the antennas for signal reception have been clarified.
Even the semi-private charter company Jsx wants to offer connectivity for free on board its aircraft, but in no case have the figures of the agreements circulated. Delta Airlines, for its part, has begun testing its aircraft, but has not yet signed agreements.
In the maritime sector, in addition to Starlink Maritime for cargo ships, for oil platforms, for yachts, Starlink has signed a contract with Royal Caribbean to provide fast internet on cruise ships, notorious for offering a poor but expensive connection.
The tests, carried out in areas not too far from the coast, gave excellent results, allowing users to watch entire broadcasts in streaming. SpaceX promises to offer cover on the high seas (including in the Southern Hemisphere) by the end of the year. Once again the economic terms of the agreement are not known. The maritime terminals cost around 10 thousand dollars and the cost of the service for merchant ships is around 5 thousand dollars a month.
Several terminals will be needed to allow connection to thousands of passengers. At the moment, it is impossible to say whether the service will be paid or included in the ticket price. While I can imagine there is a need to stay connected even while on vacation, I'd like to know what a cruise person needs to spend their time streaming series, but let's assume that's their problem.
