Apple is reportedly planning to offer cellular connectivity over satellite within its iPhone 18 Pro handset later this year, according to a leaker. The second generation Apple C2 modem could house the capacity to give users access to the web via satellites, taking things well beyond the current SOS messaging that helps iPhone users get in touch with the emergency services via text.
The next-generation Apple-made modem, which’ll be part of the wider A20 chipset, “will support NR-NTN this year” according to the Chinese leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via Apple Insider). That means New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks, which could give you a full-fat web experience.
No more struggling for streaming connectivity when out in the wilderness? Sounds good to us. No more reliance on being close to a cellular tower for checking the football scores on a camping weekend? Count us in. This isn’t the first time this possibility has been reported. Both The Information and Bloomberg have reported that satellite 5G could be on the agenda in on form or another.
Apple might need another partner to make this a reality, and it would be interesting to see which road the company would go down. If Apple went for Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, that would raise questions, considering the proprietor’s close ties with the US government. And the widespread ill-feeling towards the X and SpaceX owner.
The C2 modem is also expected to offer better battery efficiency and bring support for Apple’s ‘limit precise location’ to newer models beyond the 16e and certain iPads. The iPhone 18 Pro is scheduled to arrive in September this year, if previous precedent is followed.
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