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| iPhone 13 has satellite connection |
Trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 13 has LEO satellite connectivity, which allows users to make calls and send messages in areas that don't have 4G or 5G coverage.
If Apple sticks to its traditional schedule, it will only be weeks to announce its new iPhone product line.
In a report to investors, Kuo stated that the iPhone 13 series contains hardware that can communicate directly with satellites in low Earth orbit.
When enabled with software capabilities, phone users can make calls and send messages without the need for a 4G or 5G cellular connection.
Your next iPhone should have a dedicated Qualcomm X60 core chip that supports satellite communications.
It appears that other smartphone brands currently have to wait until 2022 to adopt the Qualcomm X65 baseband chip required for satellite communications functionality.
Low Earth orbiting satellites are the backbone of Elon Musk's Starlink Internet service. It relies on providing internet to the customer, which avoids some common satellite internet problems. Including high user response time and downtime.
But Starlink isn't the only company using LEO satellites for communications.
Hughesnet and OneWeb have teamed up to bring a competitor to Starlink to market. Immarsat has announced a new constellation designed for a more comprehensive solution to integrate into terrestrial 5G networks.
The near-Earth orbit satellite provider most likely to work with Apple on technology and service coverage is said to be Globalstar.
Kuo mentioned that the easiest way to provide LEO connectivity to users is to have a single carrier partner with Globalstar.
This means that customers of partner network operators can use Globalstar's iPhone 13 satellite communication service directly through their network operator without additional contracts or payments.
iPhone 13 has satellite connection
Kuo added that LEO satellite communications are the same as millimeter wave 5G in terms of impact on the networking industry, and Apple can benefit from both technologies.
Joe said Apple is optimistic about the direction of satellite communications, and some time ago it formed a research and development team to look at related technologies.
Bloomberg reported the existence of this team in 2019. Note that Apple is looking at new ways to send data directly to the iPhone and other devices such as Internet connections.
The CEO of Apple is said to have made the project a priority for the company. The main purpose is to send data to the user's iPhone directly. Do not rely on cellular service providers and network coverage.
Information shows that Qualcomm is partnering with Global Star to support the n53 range in the upcoming Qualcomm X65 baseband chip.
3GPP previously approved the n53 band as the 5G frequency band.
If these rumors are true, the Qualcomm X60 could support another element of 5G. It currently consists of several technologies. Including ultra-fast millimeter waves. But the more limited the range, the wider the C range and the slower the speed.
And LEO 5G provides support in places where there are no other 5G broadcast towers. They are especially useful in many rural areas where 3G or 4G connections are hard to come by.