iPhone 13 should be able to make calls via satellite even without network reception

The presentation of Apple’s new iPhone generation is getting closer. Fittingly, the rumors about the iPhone 13 are picking up speed again. According to an insider, the new smartphone should even enable satellite telephony and thus be able to make calls without any 4G or 5G network reception at all.

iPhone 13: Hardware should enable satellite telephony

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is usually very well informed in Apple circles, sprinkles an exciting rumor shortly before the official unveiling of the iPhone 13. According to the rumor, the new Apple smartphone will have a Qualcomm X60 chipset and thus meet the necessary hardware requirements for satellite telephony.

In so-called “LEO” (low-earth-orbit) mode, the iPhone 13 is said to be able to radio satellites in low orbit and establish a connection. This enables phone calls even when there is actually no 4G or 5G network reception available. This is particularly useful in regions with poor network reception. Apple should rely on Globalstar‘s satellites for this, according to the analyst, rather than Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Starlink network.

Free integration conceivable

According to Kuo, the integration of satellite telephony should be free of charge for network providers that have a contract with Globalstar. However, it is more likely that the expansion of classic mobile tariffs to include satellite telephony will not come without additional costs.

It is also unclear whether and to what extent customers of other network operators will be able to use the service or whether access to the satellites is simply not possible in this case. Nothing is known about the scope of the service either: It is at least theoretically conceivable that the iPhone 13 will also be able to access the satellite network for conventional Internet use (apart from telephony and iMessages).

After all, Apple has been doing research in this field for several years and is said to have poached renowned experts from various competitors, including Google, for the implementation. If the rumor actually turns out to be true, it would be a real killer feature for the iPhone 13, which is supposed to be presented to the public as early as mid-September.