(Credit: Apple)
Apple partner Globalstar has cleared a regulatory hurdle that will allow it to add new and improved satellite features to iPhone models.
Last week, Globalstar received partial approval from the FCC to launch 26 satellites “to replenish and enhance” the company’s existing mobile phone network.
“Globalstar is authorized to deploy up to 17 replacement satellites initially, with the remainder (9 satellites) authorized for deployment pending Commission approval of an updated orbital debris mitigation plan,” the FCC said in the order.
The satellites are meant to refresh Globalstar’s first-generation low-Earth orbiting satellites, which hover at an altitude of 1,414 kilometers. This "is expected to result in improved performance and coverage for Globalstar’s mobile satellite services, including Direct to Device satellite connections, around the world," the company said in response to the FCC approval.
The “Direct to Device” likely refers to how Globalstar is powering features on Apple iPhones, including the ability to contact emergency services through the company’s satellites, making it particularly useful in areas without ground-based cell coverage. Later this year, Apple iPhones will also support sending iMessages over Globalstar satellites.
(Credit: Apple)In its approval, the FCC noted that Globalstar’s mobile satellite service system “has been in continuous operation in the United States for more than two decades, providing service to over 760,000 end-user customers with millions more potentially benefiting from its direct-to-handset emergency service.”
In addition, the FCC says eight of the replacement satellites from Globalstar are slated to launch “prior to the end of 2025.”
Globalstar also received FCC authority to launch the satellites despite objections from SpaceX, which is preparing to launch its own satellite internet service for mobile phones later this fall. Both companies have also feuded for access to radio spectrum for their satellites.
At the time, SpaceX tried to block the satellite refresh, arguing that Globalstar had failed to submit an analysis examining how the company would prevent radio interference and orbital debris from the satellites. But in the end, the FCC said: “We conclude that SpaceX’s arguments are not sufficient to warrant denial or dismissal of Globalstar’s application.”