MediaTek to Unleash Satellite Connectivity for Smartphones
MediaTek is the latest company to join the rush to bring satellite connectivity to smartphones.
At next week’s MWC(Opens in a new window) in Barcelona, MediaTek plans on demoing a satellite connectivity system it first teased in November, which can offer two-way messaging on smartphones.
“The first smartphones with MediaTek’s satellite connectivity are also launching, with more devices to be unveiled in the coming month,” the company added.
The new devices include the Motorola Defy 2(Opens in a new window) and the Cat S75(Opens in a new window) rugged smartphones, which feature a satellite messaging platform from British company Bullitt. Lenovo is also introducing the Motorola Defy Satellite Link(Opens in a new window), a handheld Bluetooth device that can provide satellite messaging via Bullitt to any paired smartphone.
Through the devices, Bullitt plans on selling customers a $149 yearly subscription for up to 30 two-way, satellite-based messages per month, and access to an “SOS assist” emergency response center.
The companies follow Apple, which developed its own satellite-based SOS messaging feature for the iPhone 14. Satellite connectivity means a user can send SMS messages when off the grid, making it a useful emergency tool for people traveling in remote areas outside cellular networks.
Apple’s SOS feature for the iPhone 14—which is free for the first two years—has sparked vendors across the smartphone ecosystem to respond. Qualcomm, Samsung, and T-Mobile are all working on their own satellite connectivity systems. Now MediaTek, a Taiwanse smartphone chip maker, is officially jumping on the bandwagon.
“Two-way satellite communications on smartphones and other devices will usher us into a new era of
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