Amber Neely
Despite an ongoing regulatory dispute, American satellite communications company Globalstar has partnered with SpaceX to launch satellites for Apple's Emergency SOS iPhone feature.
The agreement between Globalstar and SpaceX was recently revealed in an SEC filing. Although the filing, spotted by Nola, doesn't provide many details, it does indicate that SpaceX will launch the satellites within a 2025 launch window, with Globalstar paying $64 million for the launch.
The filing confirms what had been learned in September of 2022: Apple will pay 95% of the costs for the new satellites, including the launch fees, and is referred to as a "launch partner."
The deal comes at a time when Globalstar is actively embroiled in a legal battle against SpaceX. SpaceX hopes to secure a radio spectrum for its upcoming mobile service for Starlink.
According to PCMag, Globalstar has accused SpaceX of making a "lawless" attempt at securing the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz radio bands, which could prevent features such as Emergency SOS via Satellite from working.
Emergency SOS via Satellite only works with Globalstar's network. In September 2022, Elon Musk tweeted that Starlink had been in talks with Apple about using its satellite network for the feature.
If someone is in an emergency situation and cannot connect to cellular or Wi-Fi networks, the iPhone 14 product line offers a solution. With the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, custom software and hardware components within the Phone app can be utilized to connect directly to a Globalstar satellite. This option provides a reliable way to get help when needed most.
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Chip Loder
14 Comments
I would not trust something your life (or your customers’ lives) could depend upon to someone as unreliable as a guy that doesn’t pay bills for toilet paper. Or rent. Or cares about the rules for taking down a street sign. Or establishing a new one. Or treating people with respect, or like they actually mean something. Just sayin’.
I can’t figure out why there is a middleman here. Just go with starlink directly and reduce the endless fiddling around with making sure the iPhone antenna is placed correctly. Emergency service for free as part of the phone purchase, but perhaps an actual Apple global cellular service might be tempting. It could be very disruptive for the existing services.
In my country, and no doubt many others, the carriers are setting up starlink deals for cell phone coverage outside 5G/4G areas. Voice and broadband. Within a year I will be able to ditch my iridium phone and just use my iPhone.