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ramriot t1_j37164o wrote

Reply to comment by GodsendNYC in Qualcomm partners with Iridium to bring satellite messaging to Android phones by thebelsnickle1991

You'd be interested to know them that T-Mobile & spaceX already have a deal to include cellular transponders on next gen starlink satellites to offer emergency coverage to remote locations.

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-takes-coverage-above-and-beyond-with-spacex

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QueensGambit36 t1_j38drm4 wrote

The nice thing about this is that it won't require a new device to use either. Since they are using PCS spectrum just about any device will be able to connect and use it.

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AromaticIce9 t1_j38j0ee wrote

Shit like this is gonna save so many lives.

I'm all for satellite connected phones. In every way. Connect to all of them. Iridium, Starlink, whatever the fuck apple's working on.

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Randomthought5678 t1_j39f3so wrote

I don't know man, I get the emergencies contact stuff but the first time somebody casually texts on their phone when we're 14 miles deep into the Olympics I'm going to lose my shit.

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T8ortots t1_j39o6py wrote

What?

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Randomthought5678 t1_j39rjkz wrote

When I go hiking I like to be off grid as much as possible. The best hiking around me is in the Olympic mountain range of Washington State. If phones start working in the middle of nowhere it's just a matter of time until people use it frivolously and I'll be sad.

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T8ortots t1_j39te91 wrote

Ah that makes more sense. The "Olympics" means something completely different to the rest of the world /s

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Randomthought5678 t1_j39uy54 wrote

Yeah upon rereading I get that. Technically I'm an Olympian since I hail from Olympia... All I have are participation trophies though.

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Beginning_Ad_5381 t1_j3bbolc wrote

To be fair "The Olympics" in this context, when referencing wilderness areas, would be easily recognized as referring to the mountains by anyone interested in wilderness related activities as it is a colloquialism common within these communities. Much like saying "The Rockies".

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T8ortots t1_j3bbupv wrote

I came here for gadgets, not mountains

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imnotsoho t1_j3agkvx wrote

Not just that but people who have no respect for wilderness. Oh, things are uncomfortable I need to call a helicopter. BS. If you choose to go into wilderness, you get yourself out.

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boones_farmer t1_j3nu9is wrote

Oh my god, someone might enjoy nature differently than you do! Oh the humanity!

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GodsendNYC t1_j3978x8 wrote

I've read about it and it's pretty interesting. I'd like to know more about the technical details of how that could work. You can pick up a satellite signal on a phone without much of a problem because it's a powerful transmitter but how does the return signal get to the satellite since it's a small device with a low-power transmitter designed for local communications? SAT phones usually are larger and have a much bigger external antenna so how can they do it on a normal smartphone is very interesting.

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mateojones1428 t1_j3f16jg wrote

Read up on spacemobile, they will offer 5g broadband from LEO sats, not just emergency texting.

They are testing right now with AT&T, vodafone, Rakuten.

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GodsendNYC t1_j3fw057 wrote

There's not much tech info I could find, only about the downlink not the uplink from the phone. How does a 5 watt maximum non-directed transmission get to a satellite reliably?

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mateojones1428 t1_j3f0rcx wrote

Spacemobile will offer 5g broadband to any smartphone. Text, voice, data.

Probably a few years ahead of any competition.

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