Satellite-to-Cell Showdown: Apple vs Starlink vs AST in the Race to Connect Your Phone Anywhere
Apple launched Emergency SOS via satellite in late 2022 with the iPhone 14, becoming the first mainstream phone to offer satellite messaging. Apple’s satellite system uses Globalstar’s LEO satellites (about 1,400 km altitude) with custom hardware and extremely low bandwidth, delivering a few bytes per second and requiring the user to point and hold the phone for about 15–30 seconds per transmission. In late 2023 Apple added roadside assistance texting via satellite with AAA in the U.S., and iPhone purchases include two years of satellite service for free. Apple announced in 2024 that iOS 18 will enable standard iMessage texting