Why is satellite calling important?
Because it is related to 6G, it is the focus of global mobile phone and communication companies’ active deployment; it can also be said to be the current consensus of the industry.
In November 2017, Neil McRae, Chief Network Architect of British Telecom(ticker: BTGOF), forecasted 6G communications. He believed that 6G would be 5G plus satellite network, integrating satellite network on the basis of 5G to achieve global coverage , and is expected to be commercially available in 2025. Of course, whether the network is widespread is only one dimension of 6G, but it is an angle that can be observed.
In November 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China included the research and principle verification of satellite communication technology integrated with 5G/6G into the national key research and development plan broadband communications and new network key projects.
Regarding the current progress of satellite communications, please see my other article for a detailed explanation: “Low-orbit satellites (LOS) progress, relevant companies“.
Cell phone satellite calls are difficult
The cost of satellite launch is very high, so in the past satellite systems hoped that one satellite could cover a large area. If you wanted to cover a large area, you had to place the satellite higher. However, due to the long distance, the speed dropped.
Now, with the maturity of technology, coupled with the widespread use of a rocket that can launch multiple satellites at the same time, it has driven the development of low-orbit satellites.
But the height has been lowered, and the coverage area has been reduced. To receive the signal, a specific receiving device is required, which increases the cost instead. Therefore, there are still many difficulties in satellite communication, and it cannot be popularized to the general public. It can only be used as a supplementary function of the terrestrial cellular communication system. So currently only a very small number of mobile phones can support the function of satellite connection communication.
Satellite phone is there fir many years
After decades of development, there are currently several commonly used traditional satellite phone satellite phone systems in the world, including the famous Iridium Go satellite phone system originated from Motorola (ticker: MSI).
These traditional satellite phone systems have achieved coverage in most areas of the world, and signals can be received even in the North and South Poles of the earth. The call quality and network are also very stable, so they are suitable for outdoor use.
However, the current price of this kind of satellite phone is not cheap, so it is impossible to spread it to the general public.
How smartphone support satellite calls?
The so-called mobile phone satellite communication uses communication satellites as microwave relay stations to receive signals transmitted by ground stations through the communication transponders on the satellites, amplify the signals and then forward them to other ground stations after frequency conversion, thereby completing the communication between the two ground stations. transmission.
Different from traditional satellite phones, consumer-grade mobile phones cannot make excessive changes in antenna design and can only implement it from aspects such as chips and algorithms. For example, on the Mate 50, Huawei has used software methods such as high-gain algorithms and new communication protocols to improve the antenna design. communication experience. On models such as Apple iPhone 14 and Meizu 20, they start from the hardware to achieve satellite communication support.
The good news is that, including chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm (ticker: QCOM), many satellite communication chips specifically for mobile phones have been launched on the market, and terminals equipped with these solutions will also be launched this year.
Smartphones support satellite message
Apple’s iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 series models launched by Apple (ticker: AAPL) in 2022 can use satellites to send SOS emergency messages. The cooperation partners are the 24 low-orbit satellites deployed by Globalstar. Apple has also spent nearly US$500 million to assist satellite networks and The construction of ground stations was initially limited to the United States and Canada. Later, the service area was expanded to European countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Germany. However, Taiwan has not yet opened services. Globalstar is planning to continuously optimize its mobile satellite service system(MSS). In the future, iPhone will be able to make direct satellite phone calls and access the Internet through satellite.
Huawei’s Mate 50 and P60
In September 2022, Huawei’s Mate 50 series mobile phones will support satellite communication functions. In places where there is no telecommunications network signal, emergency text messages can be sent through the Beidou satellite system. It only supports sending, not receiving (this mobile phone cannot receive satellite SMS, that is, the satellite SMS is transferred to the telecommunications company for reception and then forwarded), and it needs to be used in an open and unsheltered place. Before using it for the first time, you need to activate it by connecting to the App in an environment with a telecommunications network. This function is only available in mainland China.
With the Huawei P60 series released in early 2023, Huawei finally upgraded the one-way communication to two-way communication, supporting two-way communication between the helper and the rescuer.
Meizu 20 series
After merging into Geely Group (ticker: GELYF) and establishing Meizu Group, on March 30, 2023, it finally announced the launch of the Meizu 20 series mobile phones, and added Meizu Tianwen S1 multi-mode satellite calls to high-end models. The chip enables the two-way sending and receiving of satellite messages on the mobile phone.
Smartphones that support satellite calls
As of September 10, 2023, there is only one smartphone on the market that supports satellite “calls” in the world.
Please note that I am talking about voice calls, not just sending text messages.
Huawei Mate 60 Pro
The Mate 60 Pro released by Huawei in September 2023, in addition to breaking through the US chip blockade for the first time and supporting 5G, is the world’s first mass smartphone that supports satellite “calls”. Even when there is no ground network signal, you can also make calls calmly , Answer satellite calls.
Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro, which will be launched in August 2023, in addition to breaking through the US chip blockade and supporting 5G for the first time, is the world’s first mass smartphone to support satellite calls. Even in the absence of terrestrial network signals, you can make calls calmly and answer satellite calls.
Mate 60 Pro uses the “Tiantong-1” satellite communication system independently developed by mainland China. This satellite communication system was developed by the Fifth Aerospace Academy and is currently only operated by China Telecom. In addition to providing call and text messaging services, it can also provide Internet access services.
The current transmission rate is about 384kbps, which is still far behind Starlink’s 100MB per second. There is still a lot of room for improvement if such a transmission frequency is used to transmit “data”, but it is actually more than enough for “calls” and can meet everyone’s call needs in various scenarios, because the voice calls require The frequency is actually very low.
The package launched by China Telecom for satellite calls is RMB 1,000 per year, including 750 minutes of calls and 5 domestic text messages. Beyond the package, making and receiving satellite calls is RMB 1.6 per minute.
Other mobile phone companies in China
Following Huawei Mate60 Pro, industry chain insiders said that due to the huge market demand for smartphones with satellite calling functions, other Chinese mobile phone manufacturers will also gradually support satellite calling functions in their products before the end of 2023.
Mobile hardware platform provider
HiSilicon
Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro supports satellite communications using the Kirin 9000S chip designed by its own HiSilicon.
Qualcomm
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in early 2023, Qualcomm (ticker: QCOM) announced that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphone hardware platform will provide low-orbit satellite communication functions. Qualcomm officially announced the first batch of satellite communication support manufacturers , including Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, Honor, Motorola and Nothing. ; But it is only a point-to-point emergency messaging service, similar to Apple’s emergency SOS function.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphone hardware platform released by Qualcomm last year already supports the Snapdragon Satellite function, but the satellite network usage agreement between Qualcomm and Iridium Communications may not be completed yet, making it impossible to promote to individual users.
Unisoc
Unisoc launched its first satellite communication SoC chip V8821. In the 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network, non-terrestrial network) field verification, functions such as data transmission, short messages, location sharing and even calls were tested. Unisoc is working with vivo to promote the commercial use of satellite communication mobile phones, which will be launched as early as the second half of 2023.
MediaTek
In 2020, the first 5G satellite IoT data connection was successfully achieved through the Inmarsat Alphasat L-band satellite. In May 2023, the latest 6G NTN technology white paper titled “Integration of Satellite Networks and Terrestrial Networks” was released. In the future, through the compatibility and complementarity of satellite networks and terrestrial networks, we will create an all-terrain and all-space three-dimensional network on land, sea, and air. coverage, providing users with seamless and intelligent communication services.
MediaTek also launched satellite communication chipsets, and the first terminals to be equipped with them were Motorola defy 2 and CAT S75.
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