It's official: after rumors simply assumed it, Apple has just confirmed in a press release that satellite connectivity for emergency calls will indeed arrive this month on iPhone. The company does not yet specify an exact date, but we know thatiOS 16.2 has been in beta testing for a few days. It is therefore likely that the final version of this version is the one which contains the update in question.
As a reminder, this new functionality only allows you tonotify emergency servicesin the event of a problem occurring in a white zone. Users will not be able to use it to talk to their loved ones, therefore. To date, the developer has clarified thatthe first two regions to benefit from this benefit are the United States and Canada. Nothing about mainland France, Belgium or the Maghreb, however.
Record investment
At the same time, Apple indicated signing a massive investment of $450 million in the American infrastructure supporting the program. The amount approaches437 million eurosat the current exchange rate, and was largely attributed to Globalstar, a specialist in satellite communications. Three hundred employees of the company would participate in the creation of the new service for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Previous generations are not advertised as compatible.
A small constellation at your disposal
Apple specifies that during an emergency call by satellite, the signal is received by one of thetwenty-four satellitesequipped by Globalstar before being transmitted to ground teams. The functionality is always available; at any time of the day or night. When issuing the alert, the iPhone tells the user where to point their mobile to be sure to be directed directly to the corresponding low orbit.
The editorprecisethat it may happen that 911 is still not reachable this way. In this case, it is still possible to send atextto emergencies and to chat with an operator who will have access to the caller's geolocation, their medical information and the remaining battery life.
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By : Keleops AG
