If Apple wants to go ahead with this feature in India, it will have to partner with satellite internet providers like Hughes or OneWeb.
If Apple wants to go ahead with this feature in India, it will have to partner with satellite internet providers like Hughes or OneWeb.
apple on 7 september iPhone 14 series launched And with that came satellite connectivity on a commercial mobile phone brand. However, this feature will be limited to the US and Canada only. Apple has restricted the availability of the satellite connectivity feature, though India already has the technology here.
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“We already have satellite connectivity technology available in India,” said Sunil Kumar Niranian, DDG (Satellite), Department of Telecommunications (DoT). he was referring to HinduQuestion on Apple’s satellite connectivity for the iPhone.
“We are ready if Apple comes to it for approval, but they will have to tie up with a satellite operator,” he noted.
Satellite connectivity is an emergency facility used in the most remote locations where mobile connectivity is not available. The challenge with satellite communication is that it works best in open spaces with no interruptions, and is a paid service in most cases.
India is ready for Apple’s satellite connectivity. photo credit: apple
“What Apple has introduced is a kind of alert or messaging service, not a mobile voice service. Shivaji Chatterjee, SVP and Business Head, Enterprise Business Unit at Hughes Communications India, said, “The kind of antenna these (commercial) have (small) don’t support voice services over satellite.” Hughes is a high-speed satellite Internet service provider.
Hughes Communications India (HCI) on Monday announced the commercial launch of India’s first High-throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband service. Hughes’ HTS broadband service combines the Ku-band capability of the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites to deliver high-speed broadband across India.
“Satellite connectivity on the phone is at a very early stage. So we shouldn’t get too excited about it. It won’t work indoors because you need a line of sight, you have to go outside to use it.”
Apple’s satellite connectivity feature in the US and Canada will use the Globalstar network in low-Earth orbit to help those in distress. Globalstar competes with Elon Musk’s Starlink in that area. If Apple wants to go ahead with this feature in India, it will have to partner with satellite internet providers like Hughes or OneWeb.
India is ready for Apple’s satellite connectivity. photo credit: apple
If Apple announces such technologies, we can expect other major mobile players like Samsung to include this feature in their future phones as well, Mr Chatterjee said in response to the mass adoption of satellite connectivity by mobile players. Said about
“We are looking at this place; It’s always interesting because so many things can happen. It is very dynamic,” he said.