Samsung Galaxy S24 : As with the iPhone 14, it was claimed last year that Samsung would give the Galaxy S23 satellite connectivity for emergency calls and messaging. The Galaxy S23 does not have satellite connectivity for emergency services because it did not occur. According to rumours, Samsung will upgrade its smartphones with satellite communication in 2019.
South Korean Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho stated that local smartphone manufacturers plan to introduce a service that would allow data transmission between 5G phones and satellites next year in an interview with Yonhap News (via @Tech_Reve).Given that LG closed its smartphone division, leaving Samsung as South Korea’s sole major smartphone brand, it is widely believed that Samsung will provide satellite connectivity to its phones in 2019. “I cannot say for certain, but I know that the domestic industry is considering commercialising the service next year, expecting that a standard related to satellite communication will be prepared next year,” Lee Jong-ho stated in the interview.
In 2024, the Samsung Galaxy S24 might include two-way satellite connectivity.
Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, Samsung’s high-end phones this year can connect to LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites for emergency calling and messaging services. The Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Z Fold 5 lack satellite connectivity.
Samsung stated earlier this year that it would hold off on implementing the new capability until the satellite communication ecosystem had improved. Iridium Communications, which runs a constellation of low-earth orbit satellites for emergency communications, is said to work with the South Korean corporation.
The company plans to release the Galaxy S24 in the first quarter of the next year.The Samsung Galaxy S24, Samsung Galaxy S24+, and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are expected in two different configurations: one with an Exynos 2400 CPU and the other with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. If the Samsung Galaxy S24 wants to receive satellite connectivity, even the Exynos 2400 must have the feature turned on at the hardware level. Samsung developed its two-way satellite communication, which might be used in the Galaxy S24, with Exynos chips in mind. Only Huawei phones now offer satellite connectivity within the Android ecosystem.
How is smartphone two-way satellite communication useful?
When there is no nearby mobile phone network, two-way satellite connectivity for emergency communications enables phones to connect to low-Earth orbit satellites to send calls and messages. When users become lost in a region without cellular service, it enables them to be rescued or given medical attention. One such solution was tested on the Galaxy S22 and could eventually enable two-way satellite communication on normal phones without the need for additional hardware.
