Apple announced that the iPhone 14 series satellite SOS emergency service will be launched in the United States and Canada "later this month", and revealed that so far, in creating the service, it has been $450 million spent on facilities, technology, and personnel.
The new emergency SOS service works by enabling stranded users to send text messages for help over the satellite network. Apple has revealed that this will require an entire satellite network, plus a series of call centers in the U.S. and Canada.
Now, Apple is announcing a grant from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which has previously been used to help create super ceramics and bring in hundreds of jobs.
Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams said, SOS via satellite is a perfect example of Americans using ingenuity and technology to save lives. We are proud that this service is enabled by a leading US company, and our users can explore offline areas knowing that they are still within range of emergency services when needed. (Actually, phones such as the Huawei Mate 50 series are already enabled Beidou satellite message service)
Apple said, Most of the funding went to Globalstar, which owns and operates the satellite network.
Globalstar reportedly employs more than 300 people dedicated to supporting Apple's new services.
Jay Monroe, Executive Chairman of Globalstar, said, serial distress signaling directly to iPhone via satellite is a timeless advancement in satellite communications. We are proud that Globalstar's satellite and spectrum assets will play a central role in saving lives. Through Apple's infrastructure investments, our teams in California and elsewhere have grown to build, expand and upgrade our ground stations. We look forward to the next chapter in Globalstar's life-saving technology.
Apple said, the majority of the $450 million investment will provide key enhancements to the Globalstar satellite network and ground stations in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Puerto Rico, and Texas to ensure iPhone 14/Pro users stay off the network Ability to connect to emergency services.
Infrastructure investments include the addition of new antennas at all Globalstar facilities. These high-power antennas are designed and manufactured exclusively for Apple by Cobham Satcom in Concord, California.
The US version of the iPhone 14 series supports the long-rumored emergency messages sent via communication satellites, called emergency SOS. When the user is not within range of the cell phone signal, the cell phone's antenna can be connected to satellite communications. By customizing the short text compression algorithm, the size of the message can be reduced by 3 times. In the case of seeing a clear sky, the time to send a message is less than 15 seconds. Satellite location sharing is supported. In field scenes, emergency rescue, and other fields, The satellite communication function can perform certain functions. You can also use the Find My app to share a location without sending a message.
When an iPhone user requests an SOS distress signal via a satellite, the information is received by one of Globalstar's 24 satellites, which travel at about 16,000 mph in low-Earth orbit. The satellites then send the information down to custom ground stations located at key points around the world.
Once the ground station receives the information, it is forwarded to emergency services that can dispatch rescue, or to a relay center with Apple-trained emergency specialists if the nearest emergency service cannot receive the text message.
In a supporting document, Apple said SOS signals via satellite will be available in the November iOS 16 software update. And it's free for the first two years.
Apple reportedly confirmed that the iPhone 14 series satellite capabilities will expand to more countries by the end of next year, but did not detail those plans.
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