Make calls outside the cellular coverage area: iPhone 13 can have a satellite connection

Posted:

30 before 2021 21:54 GMT

iPhone 13 will be able to connect directly to Low Earth Orbit (or LEO) satellites when there is no cellular connection thanks to a dedicated baseband chip.

Although we are likely a few weeks away from the launch of the new iPhone, there have been quite a few rumors so far about the new Apple device. But analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has just leaked a potential (and unexpected) feature of the brand’s next smartphone that has already impressed fans.

According to the expert, he cited the gate Mac rumorsiPhone 13 may have the ability to make satellite calls. This means that with Apple’s new “smartphone” you can make calls If there is no cellular connection.

In a note to investors, Kuo claims that the iPhone 13 will be able to connect directly to Low Earth Orbit (or LEO) satellites thanks to a custom Qualcomm X60 core chip.

LEO satellites are probably best known as the backbone of Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service, which relies on satellites in low orbit to transmit Internet to users and avoid some common satellite Internet errors.

In this way, the functionality detected by the analyzer will allow you to make calls and send messages, even if the iPhone is outside the cellular coverage area.

However, Kuo was unable to confirm whether this feature would work with Apple’s built-in services such as FaceTime or iMessage. It is also unknown in which scenarios it will be possible to use this function of the smartphone and If it will be paid or free.

At the same time, the portal notes that rumors about the appearance of support for satellite communications on the iPhone are not new since they first appeared in 2019.