Apple might be planning to make “no service” warnings a thing of the past. MacRumors reported that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often leaks details about the company’s products ahead of their debut, believes the iPhone 13 lineup will be able to connect to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites when other networks are unavailable so it can still provide basic communications options.
Kuo reportedly told investors that Apple plans to use a modified version of the Qualcomm X60 modem with support for satellite communications in at least some members of the iPhone 13 lineup. (The company made four versions of the iPhone 12; it’s not clear how many iPhone 13 models it plans to introduce.) That could give it a one-year head start in the mobile space race.
A satellite communications company called Globalstar announced in February that Qualcomm added support for its Band n53 technology to the upcoming X65 modem. That support will allow smartphones with the modem to connect to the 5G network operating on Globalstar’s LEO satellites, but companies aren’t expected to incorporate the part into their products until 2022.
Apple could ask Qualcomm to make a custom X60 that supports Band n53, however, and Kuo seems to believe the company did just that. He reportedly said Globalstar is the satellite provider “most likely to cooperate with Apple in terms of technology and service coverage.” Qualcomm’s already familiar with Globalstar’s technology, so in theory it could facilitate that partnership.
But this is still just a rumor. It’s possible that Apple hasn’t planned to introduce satellite communications support in the iPhone 13, and even if it has, the ongoing chip shortage could have interfered with its ability to make that plan a reality. We should find out more about what the company’s changed with the iPhone 13 lineup sometime later this year.
