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posted by hubie on Tuesday September 13 2022, @11:49PM   Printer-friendly

Elon Musk Says SpaceX Has Had 'Promising Conversations' With Apple About iPhone Satellite Service

SpaceX held talks with Apple Inc. about using Starlink connectivity for the iPhone maker's new satellite features, Elon Musk said:

The comments came a day after Apple announced Emergency SOS via Satellite, which will allow iPhone 14 users to ping emergency services using satellite networks in areas without standard cellular reception. For the service, Apple partnered with Globalstar Inc. to power the satellite infrastructure, the network provider said in a regulatory filing Wednesday.

Last month, Musk's SpaceX and U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile preempted Apple's long-anticipated announcement by revealing that phone users on T-Mobile's network would be able to tap into SpaceX satellites to send text messages in areas without cellular connectivity. The collaboration is dependent on SpaceX launching an upgraded version of its Starlink satellites, known as Version 2.

That partnership, which won't launch until the end of next year at the earliest, will differ from Apple's feature in that it will allow for communication between consumers. Apple's short length satellite texting service is only designed to message emergency responders, the company said Wednesday.

[...] Apple's feature is set to launch in November and will be free for two years. The company didn't say how much it would cost after that initial period. Apple is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into Globalstar's satellite infrastructure, the company said. The T-Mobile and Starlink feature will be free.

Elon Musk Hints at Potential Apple–Spacex Partnership for iPhone 14 Satellite Feature

Elon Musk Hints at Potential Apple–Spacex Partnership for iPhone 14 Satellite Feature:

Tesla Inc. and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he's had some "promising conversations" with Apple Inc. over Starlink connectivity.

The billionaire entrepreneur said on Twitter Thursday that the iPhone team is obviously "super smart."

"For sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if phone software & hardware adapt to space-based signals vs Starlink purely emulating cell tower," said Musk.

At the event, Musk said that SpaceX's Starlink's second-generation satellites would be able to "broadcast direct to cell phones."


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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 14 2022, @01:53PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday September 14 2022, @01:53PM (#1271610) Journal

    I have been seeing rumors online that Tesla is planning a smart phone that will work with the Starlink network. This announcement rather indicates the rumors are unfounded. After all, if you're about to launch a phone that is essentially a satellite phone that can work anywhere in the world, why would you open that satellite network to one of your chief competitors in the smartphone market?

    (Yes, we know that Starlink and Tesla are separate companies, but they're run by the same guy.)

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