The launch of the iPhone 14 brought satellite telephony to the forefront of people’s minds. In fact, satellite phones are nothing new. The technology industry started working on satellite phones more than 30 years ago, but the results were not so good.
A concept more than 30 years ago
When mobile phones first became popular in the late 1980s, it was not clear whether the calling network would be centred on terrestrial or satellite services. Neither system was particularly well established at the time.
Satellites were attractive because they could provide connectivity in the most remote areas of the planet, including polar regions, at sea and even on aircraft, where there was no terrestrial network to cover. The fact that this type of satellite phone required clear skies to work did not reduce the interest in researching it.
So when Motorola announced its first mobile satellite phone programme, called Iridium, in 1990, mobile phone users and investors alike were excited.
Other companies soon joined the wave, creating more satellite companies. 1991 saw defence contracting firm Loral and Qualcomm form Globalstar to compete with Motorola’s Iridium. (backed by investors such as Craig McCaw and Bill Gates, announced plans in 1994 to develop a satellite capable of providing both voice and data connectivity. Other smaller companies did not want to miss out on this trend and began planning their own networks.
On 1 November 1998, Iridium officially launched its global communications service using the 66 satellites it had launched. At the launch, the first call was made by then-US Vice President Al Gore via the satellite network to Gilbert Grosvenor, the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.
Bankruptcy
However, the high cost of rocket launches, the years it took to obtain international government approval and the need for spectrum for the service slowed down the growth of the satellite phone industry. As a result, by the time Iridium’s satellite phone service came online, terrestrial cellular services had had plenty of time to achieve widespread penetration.
To make matters worse, Iridium’s satellite phones were initially launched at a huge price of over US$3,000 and charged users up to US$7 (about RMB 50) per minute for service.
As a result, Iridium filed for bankruptcy less than a year after the launch of its satellite phones, after investing more than $5 billion with few subscribers, and Teledesic launched only one satellite, shutting down operations in 2002. In the same year, Globalstar entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Prakash Sangam, the founder of technology research and consulting firm Tantra Analyst, said that other problems contributed to the companies’ failure, including the limited battery life of satellite phones and the cost of maintaining the satellite network.
A new “space race”
Now the mobile giants are once again setting their sights on the satellite sector. In September this year, Apple introduced a satellite emergency distress feature in its latest iPhone 14 series phones, which can send a distress call from anywhere in the US and Canada. Securities regulators’ filings show that Apple agreed to pay Globalstar up to $230 million for most of its network capacity next year. Apple plans to launch the feature in November.
Apple is just one of the companies getting into the satellite smartphone business. Huawei says its latest phone can send one-way emergency messages via the Beidou system. Globalstar rival Iridium says it is developing its own smartphone service with an unnamed partner.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, also has his eye on satellite phones. His rocket company SpaceX said in August that it would work with US operator T-Mobile US to make its “Starlink” service compatible with T-Mobile’s network. The two companies said they would begin testing the service by the end of 2023.
High risks, big challenges
The stakes are high for satellite companies, each of which would need to spend billions of dollars just to launch their networks. Of course, if these companies can get their service working globally, even if it covers a small fraction of the more than six billion smartphones in the world, the potential rewards are just as great.
Any true satellite phone service would have to overcome fundamental challenges. Today’s satellite phones require large battery packs to power large antennas in order to connect to satellites. Businesses also need more powerful smartphones, more sensitive satellites or a combination of both to transmit high-speed data from space to the average consumer.
Engineers say improved satellite technology and cheaper rockets are the key factors that will enable satellite companies to fully target the mobile device market. However, these proposals still require billions of dollars of investment to succeed.
In the 1960s, the first space-based communications satellites orbited more than 22,000 miles (about 35,000 km) above the equator in geosynchronous orbit. The first successful Internet satellites occupied the same high orbital space. This orbit is synchronised with the Earth’s rotation and maintains a constant position in the sky, allowing for a wider coverage area. However, long-distance links place high power demands on both the satellites and the link equipment on the ground. The signal takes more than 500 milliseconds to travel back and forth, which is a long time for modern Internet applications.
Other companies have adopted a compromise, using medium Earth orbits closer to the Earth’s surface. However, such orbits usually require bulky, robust equipment to withstand the solar radiation of the outer Van Allen belts.
Today, most space companies eying the mobile market operate in near-Earth orbits of 1200 miles (about 1931 kilometres) or less, putting satellites in close proximity to their customers on the ground. Such orbits require satellites to fly through space at speeds of over 17,000 miles (27,000 km) per hour, requiring a large number of satellites to cover any location on Earth for more than a few minutes.
Regulatory approval
For satellite networks to flourish, executives at satellite companies need more than engineering know-how and large sums of money – they also need permission. Companies must navigate the intricacies of domestic and international regulations. These regulations control not only the satellites they launch, but also the voice and data services they plan to provide.
The International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations, oversees the registration of fleets of satellites, which involve many countries. Companies wanting to set up a fleet of satellites must register with the ITU, and then usually they must obtain a licence from the country whose satellite they cover. National agencies also regulate services through regulations that often favour first movers who have already launched satellites.
For example, Globalstar and Iridium have been licensed in many countries to transmit data using lower frequencies, which are considered more suitable for connecting to the smallest devices on the ground.
Registration by the International Telecommunication Union does not prevent new satellite companies from using the same airwaves, although it often creates new obstacles for companies as they must prove that their new fleet of satellites will not interfere with other satellites already using these airwaves. This flexibility has allowed SpaceX’s broadband business to flourish, although the company lacks a major licence.
However, many countries are demanding that latecomers prove that their plans will not interfere with existing space networks already in operation. Established satellite companies say that the licences they have accumulated over the years put them ahead of newer start-ups.
In summary, mobile phone users should manage their expectations of satellite telephony. The first version of this technology is a major step forward for mobile phones, but it may not bring the “always-on” life that people have been dreaming of any time soon.
