A brand-new function dubbed Emergency SOS through Satellite Mode is available on the recently released Apple iPhone 14 range. The SOS mode is a standard feature on almost all smartphones on the market, but it is an advanced function on the new iPhone 14 series. Later this month, the satellite-based SOS feature on the new iPhones will become available in the US and Canada. The amount of work that went into creating this new system has now been formally disclosed by the business.
The company claims that “when an iPhone user sends an Emergency SOS message, one of Globalstar’s 24 low-Earth orbit satellites, which move at speeds of about 25,749 km/h, gets the message.
How Does Emergency SOS via Satellite Works?
A custom ground station is built and placed in a strategic location, where the message is then transmitted by satellite to that location.
In Concord, California, Cobham Satcom created and built brand-new, high-power antennas just for Apple. To communicate with the satellites, each ground station includes a large number of antennas. The ground station receives the message, which is then relayed to either emergency services or a relay center staffed by Apple-trained emergency personnel.
Globalstar’s satellite network and ground stations received significant upgrades thanks to the Cupertino company. To support the new iPhone 14 Emergency SOS service, more than 300 Globalstar employees will be employed. According to Apple, mobile satellite services are only allowed to operate in a band that Emergency SOS uses.
The entire Emergency SOS programme cost Apple $450 million. In conjunction with satellite service provider Globalstar, the majority of that money was used to construct the feature’s infrastructure. The company may eventually expand the feature’s availability outside of the US and Canadian markets where it is presently only available. However, the company has no plans at this time to advertise outside of the US.
