Three weeks ago, Park Yong-in, Chief Executive Officer of Samsung’s System LSI division, announced the company’s support for satellite services for emergency communication starting next year. This announcement means that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 series of phones, set to launch next year, will feature dual-way satellite communication.
Samsung to Support Satellite Communication for Emergency Services Starting Next Year
A few months ago, Samsung unveiled their development of a method to enable two-way satellite connectivity for smartphones, which may potentially apply to the Galaxy S24 models. However, it remains uncertain whether this feature will be available on all Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones or exclusive to the Galaxy S24 Ultra within that series.
In August this year, Lee Jong-ho, South Korea’s Minister of Science and ICT, announced in an interview with Yonhap News that domestic smartphone brands in South Korea will introduce a service next year to facilitate data transfer between 5G phones and satellites. As Samsung stands as South Korea’s sole major smartphone brand (LG has already shuttered its smartphone division), this suggests that Samsung might incorporate satellite communication capabilities into their phones next year.
Lee Jong-ho stated during the interview, “I can’t say for certain, but I know that the domestic industry is considering commercializing this service next year, and we anticipate that they will establish a standard related to satellite communication next year. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, utilized in the Galaxy S23 series phones released by Samsung this year, can connect to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide emergency calls and messaging services. However, this functionality is not supported in the Galaxy S23 series.
Samsung clarified earlier this year that the satellite communication ecosystem is not yet mature, and they will introduce related new features once the ecosystem is more developed. Reports suggest that Samsung is collaborating with Iridium Communications, which owns a low Earth orbit satellite network for offering emergency communication services.
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