Too late for the Galaxy S23 line, Samsung announces a 5G modem chip for phone to satellite connectivity

Samsung sees this technology being used on unmanned aircraft and flying cars

NTN technology uses satellites and other “non-terrestrial vehicles” to deliver wireless connectivity to areas where building a terrestrial network is not feasible or possible such as over mountains, in the middle of the ocean, or a desert. Looking to the future, Samsung says that NTN technology will be important. “It will also be critical in assuring operability in disaster areas and powering future urban air mobility (UAM) such as unmanned aircraft and flying cars,” the company writes.

Samsung did not announce which phones will be the first to use the new modem. It is too late for the Galaxy S23 line, but the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are up next with a possible August release.

Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite uses on-screen directions to help an iPhone 14 series user connect to a Globalstar satellite. Once connected, the user can share important information with emergency responders via text. The service currently supports the use of English, American Spanish, Canadian French, French, and German. While eventually Apple will ask users to pay for a subscription to access the service, at the moment it is free.

The first smartphone to feature satellite connectivity was not an iPhone

Last month, two women were stranded while traveling in Canada and headed to Alberta. The area they were in did not have any cellular connectivity but one of the women did own an iPhone 14 series model. Using the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, the pair were able to summon help. Now here’s the scary part. Emergency responders estimated that if it weren’t for the iPhone’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, it might have taken them a week to find the two women.