An iPhone 14 satellite link could depend on Apple cutting a deal with wireless carriers - The Verge
Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple’s finished testing hardware that would let the iPhone communicate with satellites for emergency communications but says it has to negotiate with carriers to use it.
As Apple’s iPhone 14 event gets closer, rumors continue to swirl around the phone’s potential ability to provide emergency communications via a satellite network. On Monday, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple had “completed hardware tests for this feature” with the iPhone 14, but it would have to negotiate a business model with carriers if it wants to include it.
According to Kuo, “whether iPhone 14 will offer satellite communication service depends on whether Apple and operators can settle the business model.” Kuo says this hurdle may have already delayed the feature once — according to him, the hardware that would’ve let the iPhone 13 communicate with satellites was finished, but Apple couldn’t figure out the business end with carriers. Kuo and others famously predicted that the feature could show up in the 13, which didn’t end up happening.
According to Kuo’s latest prediction, the iPhone will “eventually” have satellite communications, but it’s “hard to predict precisely when.” If the feature now hangs on negotiations with carriers, which could be easier to keep under wraps, it makes sense that it’ll be harder to track its progress by analyzing the supply chain or code from betas.
Carriers may have an incentive to play hardball with Apple, given their interest in offering their own satellite connectivity features and plans. Last Thursday, T-Mobile announced that it was working with SpaceX to launch its own satellite-based emergency communications system, which it says will work with many existing 5G-capable phones. Meanwhile, AT&T is working with a company called AST SpaceMobile, which aims to provide broadband by beaming it to phones via satellite. Verizon has also partnered with Amazon’s Kuiper satellite project. However, it seems to be focused on providing service to remote cell towers where it wouldn’t be practical to run fiber or cable.
Since satellite networks typically work worldwide, Apple may have to strike deals with international carriers and potentially governments, as well.
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