Blog #Satellite

This year will be ground zero for the commercialization of satellite smartphone services, but a key question is whether operators will charge extra for this capability or include it as part of customer subscriptions. A report by mobile industry analyst GSMA Intelligence says that the monetization of satellite services may hinge on whether mobile operators decide to charge for them, with a mixture of approaches already evident. Operators are already mulling whether to price tech into subs, says report, which notes Musk's Starlink satellite dominance. For clarification we're talking about satellite connectivity with unmodified, standard smartphones, for when you're out of cellular range or service, not dedicated sat-phones that have been around for some time now.

It’s no secret that your ISP can throttle your speed by prioritizing other users when the usage is in peak demand. We have seen this subtly done by Econet, Telone and Netone but to really understand this concept take a look a closer look at StarLink, they openly do it and they actually explain the concept explicitly in the data plans. Well even WiFi connections also do this kind of thing, that’s why you see sometimes your internet speed is insanely fast but sometimes it’s very slow but on the same plan. This prioritization is often given to subscribers paying more but what if i tell you that you can get more speed out of your current internet plan and equipment by optimizing your setup. So here’s how.

Mobile satellite connectivity enables a smartphones to establish a connection with a satellite network, providing communication in areas without cellular coverage similarly to what Space X is doing with StarLink but this time without the Kit as the middleman. With the introduction of the iPhone 14 series in 2022, Apple brought satellite communication to smartphones, allowing users to connect with emergency services via SOS messages even in areas without cellular coverage. Other smartphone brands, including Google and Samsung, followed, but the technology remained a niche feature available only in select regions and on a limited number of smartphone models but fast forward to 2025 it’s a changed game with it now calls and texts made available not just emergency SOS and more breakthroughs expected later this year. So how does this technology actually works.

Discover how Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet constellation, is revolutionizing connectivity for people living in rural areas and remote locations, offering high-speed internet access previously unavailable to them.