Tianfeng International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on August 29 that Apple is indeed developing satellite communications for the iPhone 14 / Pro series and has completed hardware testing for the feature before mass production. In addition, the new Huawei Mate 50 / Pro series may also provide emergency SMS services via satellite communications supported by the Beidou system.
Along with Apple and Huawei, Google seems to be making a push for satellite connectivity. In a tweet yesterday, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president of platforms and ecosystems, said that getting 3G+WiFi to work properly was a very difficult task when the first Android phone, the HTC G1, was released in 2008. Now, Google has started working on getting the phone to connect with satellites, and Google will offer the feature in the next version of Android.
According to 9To5Google, Google has confirmed that the next version of Android will be Android 14, which means that Google is likely to introduce support for satellite connectivity through the Android 14 major update.
Currently, the Google Android Beta Program page has been updated and Google said, “Android 13 QPR beta update will last until March 2023, followed by Android 14 beta.” This means that the Android 14 Developer Preview could launch in March next year.
The satellite communication function is mainly a supplement to the terrestrial cellular communication system, and its main applications are in remote areas where fiber optics and base stations are not conveniently deployed, ocean and sky scenarios, and emergency disaster relief scenarios.
