Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is often quite reliable when it comes to rumors about Apple, and he says in a note to investors that the iPhone 13 will support satellite connection in low earth orbit (LEO). This would be the first smartphone aimed at the general public to bring this feature… but there are good indications that this should not happen – everything seems to be a mess involving Globalstar.
According to Apple Insider, Kuo claims that the iPhone 13 will have hardware capable of connecting to low-orbit satellites, being able to make calls and send messages without the need for 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G connection. This would be possible thanks to a custom Qualcomm X60 modem to support the 53 and n53 bands used by Globalstar, a satellite communications provider.
For Kuo, the “simplest scenario” would be for Globalstar to partner with local carriers so that the user can access the satellite communication service on iPhone 13.
The rumor gets more interesting when you remember that one of the companies that provides satellite connectivity in low orbit is Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with its Starlink internet. It has 1,500 satellites in space and 100,000 customers.
Amazon, in turn, has Project Kuiper, whose first internet satellites are expected to launch this year. Hughesnet and OneWeb teamed up to launch a competitor for Starlink; and Immarsat promises a space network that combines with earth’s 5G.
However, to communicate across the Ka/Ku spectrum with low-orbit satellites, it is necessary to use high-powered antennas – it is something that applies to both Starlink and other companies. That’s why this type of service is mainly applied to fixed broadband, not on a mobile device like the iPhone.
Most satellite phones have a visible antenna. Would Apple let this be embedded in the iPhone? Would she have a cap exclusively to help relay the signal? That’s also the question.
Also, the rumor about the iPhone 13 and Globalstar may have nothing to do with satellites.
Sascha Segan, a telecommunications analyst at PCMag, explains on Twitter that Globalstar is a satellite company, but it also has a terrestrial spectrum range in the 2.4 GHz zone – it’s the 53 and n53 bands we mentioned earlier.
This Globalstar spectrum can be used only in terrestrial communications, not with satellites: for example, in November 2020, the company was authorized to aggregate the b53 and n53 frequencies to 4G and 5G frequencies in Brazil, Canada and Kenya; it is up to operators to adopt this or not.
Globalstar has been trying to placate the b53/n53 bands for about a decade. Initially, the idea was not to use them on cellular connections, but on Wi-Fi. The technology, called TLPS (low-power terrestrial service), is in the range of 2.4 GHz. To convince the industry to adopt this standard, the company even criticized the 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which ended up winning the dispute.
In 2017, Globalstar obtained fcc authorization – equivalent to Anatel in the U.S. – to use band 53 on cellular networks. It won a version for the 5G, called n53, which is part of the official standard. Now the company’s job is to convince operators to use these frequencies; for this, mobile phone manufacturers also need to adopt compatible modems.
The standard Qualcomm X60 modem does not support b53 or n53, but Kuo claims that the iPhone 13 will have a custom version that connects to these frequencies. The Qualcomm X65, scheduled for 2022, should have native support for both bands. However, none of this has to do with satellite connectivity, as the rumor gives to me.
