Back in November 2022, Samsung hinted that satellite communication support won't be arriving for the upcoming Galaxy S23 lineup.
Last month, several reports claimed that the South Korean tech titan confirmed that the same feature which is currently existing on iPhone 14, won't be happening anytime soon.
Just recently, the company has revealed its plans to bring a special communication feature between the handsets and the satellites.
By bringing a 5G modem, smartphone-to-satellite communication will be possible. This way, a cellular network won't be needed anymore for the Galaxy S23 users to send text messages or browse the internet via mobile data.
Samsung to Introduce Smartphone-to-Satellite Communications to Galaxy S23
According to a report by Engadget on Thursday, Feb. 23, the electronics giant wants to establish this 5G support for those users who are stuck in the most hard-to-reach areas.
As such, if you're struggling to pick up a signal from a desert or a mountain, you can soon access the smartphone-to-satellite communication to contact the authorities about your whereabouts.
The 5G NTN is made possible with the help of Exynos chips which are all Samsung-owned. The feature also passed to the standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP Release 17). This means that it can be integrated even with traditional telecom providers.
"Samsung aims to take the lead in advancing hybrid terrestrial-NTN communications ecosystems around the world in preparation for the arrival of 6G," Samsung Electronics' Executive VP of Communication Processor Development Min Goo Kim said.
Related Article : Huawei Mate X3 Satellite Connectivity Technology Launched Before Apple's iPhone 14 Tech
Smartphone-based Satellite Support Simulates Exynos Modem
Aside from allowing users to send text messages and call their loved ones on the line, the technology is also capable of transmitting "high-definition" clips and videos, Samsung says.
Since it's designed to simulate what the Exynos Moden 5300 is using, it can "accurately predict satellite locations and minimize frequency offsets caused by Doppler shift."
For those unfamiliar with the Doppler shift or Doppler effect, it's an apparent change in the wave frequency in relation to the observer who is making movements to the wave source.
Two-way satellite communication is also used by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Satellite. The feature is used for smartphone models with this kind of processor such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
In September 2022, Huawei became a trendsetter in the smartphone sector when it launched satellite texting capabilities for its next-gen smartphones.
The satellite communications feature first came to Huawei Mate 50, according to Tech Times.
In the same month last year, Apple was reportedly testing the SOS satellite emergency text feature. The said technology arrived in the newest iPhone model which is iPhone 14.
The feature works the same as Samsung's smartphone-based satellite feature. It will still function if the user has no cellular signal.
