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Globalstar would build the satellites needed for the new feature
that will allow iPhone 14 users in the United States and Canada
to send emergency messages from remote places, the satellite
communications company said on Wednesday after Apple launched
its latest line of phones.
"We've had some promising conversations with Apple about
Starlink connectivity," Musk, who is also chief executive of
Tesla Inc, said in a tweet.
"For sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if
phone software and hardware adapt to space-based signals vs
Starlink purely emulating cell tower," he added. (https://bit.ly/3eD2i8p)
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The satellite message feature will be available through a
software upgrade on iPhone 14 models, which include extra
hardware to send the messages, starting November.
Apple will pay for 95% of the approved capital expenditure for
the new Globalstar satellites. It also dedicated $450 million
from its advanced manufacturing fund toward the satellite
infrastructure for the feature, with GlobalStar set to receive
the majority of the funding.
Starlink and Globalstar make low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites,
which operate 36 times closer to the earth than traditional
ones, helping them transmit messages faster even in remote
areas.
Recently, wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc said it would use
Starlink satellites to provide mobile users with network access
in parts of the United States, allowing them to connect mobile
phones directly to satellites in orbit. The new service will
start with texting services in a beta phase beginning by
2023-end.
Starlink's broadband service has been used during distress,
including in Ukraine when the Russian invasion disrupted
internet services, and in Tonga during a devastating volcanic
eruption and tsunami.
(Reporting by Eva Mathews and Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru;
Editing by Anil D'Silva and Devika Syamnath)
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