Satellite-Enabled Mobile Connectivity for All Is Almost Here. The idea that you can still use a smartphone for communication without cellular coverage has been on the journey to reality for so long.
In 2022, the iPhone 14 series was the first smartphone to have the satellite communication feature.
However, this feature only allowed users to communicate with emergency services via SOS messages.
Furthermore, it was available in limited, selected regions.
After this milestone, other phone brands, such as Samsung and Google, also introduced the satellite communication feature, but its limitations were similar to Apple’s.
Since Apple’s first breakthrough, satellite-enabled mobile connectivity has improved, and 2025 is looking like the year that it pivots to become the connectivity of the future.
This tech will:
- Grant access to internet services and mobile connections in remote and rural areas of underdeveloped regions.
- Guarantee reliable communication for disaster response and emergency services when traditional networks fail. Satellite-enabled communication can ensure that even in crisis situations, lives can be saved as people would still be able to communicate with emergency responders.
- Eliminate the need for SIM swaps and dependence on roaming services that could be unreliable when globe-trotting, thus guaranteeing seamless connection throughout traveling.
Chinese space firm demonstrates country’s first successful mobile-to-satellite communication
GalaxySpace, China’s first unicorn company in the commercial aerospace field, is making formidable steps in mobile-to-satellite communication technology.
On February 12th, 2025, at 10:28 a.m., staff at the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area conference venue connected to a satellite-enabled video call with staff in Beijing and Thailand.
This was achieved thanks to a satellite passing over the conference venue that allowed connection via a rooftop terminal device.
This video call marked China’s first low-Earth orbit broadband communication test.
It was also during this video call that Liu Chang, the co-founder and vice president of GalaxySpace, announced the partnership with True Corporation, a leading Thai telecommunications operator.
This partnership marks the beginning of collaboration between the two entities in developing low-orbit satellite communication technology and integrated space-ground network solutions to arrive at direct satellite-to-mobile communication technology.
This milestone in the Chinese tech space adds to the monumental changes that have been experienced in the past two centuries thanks to the internet.
From the shift of business to online spaces such as online casinos and social media shops to the adoption of AI.
It is now just a matter of time until we can use smartphones to make calls and even video streams without cellular towers and cellular networks.
Vodafone’s historical first satellite video call
China’s successful satellite-powered mobile video call comes second after Vodafone made the world’s first satellite video call using a smartphone on January 29th, 2025.
This historical milestone was achieved by engineer Rowan Chesmer, who made a call to Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle while in remote Wales.
This successful demonstration of satellite-enabled mobile connectivity is a result of the partnership between Vodafone and AST SpaceMobille. AST will utilize their BlueBird satellites to connect with Vodafone’s earthbound network and offer direct mobile broadband connectivity.
Vodafone is the only technology communications company with this satellite technology, and it is aiming to offer the first commercial direct-to-smartphone broadband satellite services in Europe starting later in the year.
While satellite-enabled smartphones are the future of communication, the pioneers of this technology will have a few hurdles to overcome before widespread adoption can become the norm.
The top 3 challenges for adopting satellite-enabled mobile connectivity are:
- The complexities of spectrum allocation and regulations
To ensure no interference between satellite networks for seamless global communication, all regulatory bodies and governments must be involved in the allocation of frequency spectrums.
This process is long and complicated enough to significantly slow down the worldwide adoption of satellite-enabled mobile connections.
- The expensive nature of satellite infrastructure
The high costs of implementing the technology needed for satellite-enabled mobile connectivity mean that the cost of this service will be high as well.
Currently, only premium smartphone brands offer their users satellite-enabled features.
Unless more players join in this revolution to reduce the costs due to competition, adoption of this technology will be limited to only those who can pay the high price to access it.
- The need to re-engineer smartphones for satellite communication
For widespread adoption of satellite-enabled mobile connectivity, manufacturers of smartphones have to find a way to integrate satellite antennas into the devices.
Additionally, because connecting to satellites requires much more power than using the standard cellular network, battery optimization must be factored into the design of smartphones.
The shift to satellite-enabled mobile connections is expected to be similar to the experience of using the current 4G and 5G mobile networks.
Users will be able to switch between space and earth-based networks automatically on their smartphones.
The biggest differentiator, however, will be that universal digital connectivity will be the standard, and there will be no mobile network coverage gaps anymore.
Hope you’ve found our article, Satellite-Enabled Mobile Connectivity for All Is Almost Here useful.
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