As part of its participation in Mobile World Congress 2023, British smartphone manufacturer Bullitt today unveiled a new phone capable of sending SMS into space, joining the frantic race in the satellite-enabled device market.
The phone belongs to the category of heavy duty phones and is available in two models: (Cat S75, a registered trademark of Caterpillar Heavy Equipment and Dollar). . For the other (Motorola Defy 2), the main market in the Americas starts at $599.
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| Cat S75 |
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| Motorola Defy 2 |
The company also unveiled the Motorola Defy Satellite Link, a Bluetooth device that provides satellite connections to any Android and iOS smartphone, and says it's "designed for anyone frustrated by a lack of cellular coverage, whether they're traveling or outdoors." Or simply in his daily life.
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| Motorola defy satellite link |
Motorola Defy Satellite Link will be available from April 2023 at international retailers for just $99 per device. The package includes a one-year subscription to the Basic SMS plan (up to 30 two-way messages per month and SOS support) starting at $149.
Both phones support 5G networks, have 6.6-inch screens, and have 5,000mAh batteries, which Bullitt says is enough for two days of work.
Using Bullitt's new phone, messages are sent to geostationary satellites 22,000 miles above the equator and then broadcast back to network infrastructure on the ground before reaching user devices.
Users receive the messages as standard text messages, but must install Bullitt Messenger, the company's satellite messaging app, in order to reply.
It takes about 10 seconds for a text message to reach the user, compared to the near-instantaneous speed of a cell phone. Satellite connections only work when the user is not within range of a Wi-Fi or cellular network signal.
News of the new Bullitt phone comes shortly after Apple announced its phone (iPhone 14), which has the added advantage of calling emergency services via satellite. This feature is available in the US, UK, France, Germany and Ireland.
Device makers like Apple and chip makers like Qualcomm are taking advantage of the untapped opportunity to bring satellite phones to the public in remote areas where the terrestrial communications infrastructure can't reach them.
Satellite communications allow messages to reach large areas that terrestrial cellular networks can't because the range of cell towers is so limited, which means you'll lose signal if you stray too far from one.
Satellite communication can come in handy when you're a traveler who gets lost on a mountain pass in a remote area, or a worker on a remote construction site who needs to contact his boss but doesn't have access to mobile data.
It should be noted that satellite phones have been around for decades, but only a small percentage of users have access to them. Bullitt hopes to change that with his device. It should also be noted that many satellite phones are rectangular objects with large visible antennas. But the Bullitt feels like an ordinary smartphone, thanks in part to a satellite chip from Taiwanese semiconductor maker MediaTek.
Bullitt said his phone has an advantage over the iPhone in that it allows for two-way text messaging, as well as an emergency SOS feature that the company developed in partnership with Focuspoint International to deal with critical incidents.
Bullitt's two-way messaging service costs €4.99 for the basic plan with 30 messages per month, €9.99 for 125 messages per month and €29.99 for 400 messages per month.
For comparison, competitor Garmin charges £19 a month for 10 texts, £32 for 60 texts and £58 for 250 texts plus a one-off activation fee of £35.
The Apple Emergency SOS feature, which does not allow two-way messaging, is free for two years after activating the phone (iPhone 14) or (iPhone 14 Pro). Apple has not disclosed the cost of the service after this period.
As part of the competition to bring satellite communications to the public, Samsung announced yesterday Thursday that the development of its modems will support the so-called (over the fifth generation of non-terrestrial networks) 5G NTN, which will bring satellite and mobile. Phones with Exynos mobile communications chips.