According to Google's Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android 14 will feature satellite communication. He has stated that the business is "building for satellites" and supports its partners in adding this functionality to the upcoming Android release. This information was made public roughly a week after T-Mobile and SpaceX unveiled their proposal to use Starlink V2 to remove dead zones globally. It will do away with the need for cellphone towers by connecting customers directly to satellites. Similarly, a recent story claims that Apple has the iPhone 14's satellite communication in operation.
According to Lockheimer, using a smartphone to connect directly to a satellite will have a very different user experience than using ordinary cellular access. He didn't say much else save the fact that Android 14 will have this capability available.
In similar news, T-Mobile and SpaceX have teamed together to deliver satellite access to US phones. The telecom provider intends to employ thousands of Starlink satellites to provide wireless connectivity to mobile subscribers in off-the-grid regions of the nation. By the second part of 2023, this service may handle text messages. Data and voice services are anticipated to come later.
Additionally, Elon Musk tweeted that the Starlink V2 service would go live in 2023 with the goal of "eliminating dead zones globally." Other carriers were cordially invited to collaborate with Starlink, he said.
The forthcoming iPhone 14 series will feature satellite connectivity, which is also a priority for Apple. A recent source claims that before the handsets reached the mass production stage, the Cupertino company had already completed the hardware test for satellite connection on iPhone 14. The inclusion of this capability on the iPhone 14 is uncertain, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as Apple must first reach an agreement with a satellite provider. The iPhone 14 series will only enable emergency SMS and voice services if satellite connectivity is installed.
