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Samsung‘s Galaxy S24 series may feature a two-way satellite communication system. Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Science and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in South Korea, recently confirmed that the domestic smartphone industry is preparing to commercialize a satellite communication system for 5G mobile devices next year. Since Samsung is the only major smartphone company in South Korea, the Galaxy S24 lineup could debut the technology.
Rumors of Samsung working on bringing satellite connectivity to Galaxy phones have been around since last year. There were hopes that the Korean firm would offer the feature on the Galaxy S23 series. However, it didn’t. The company’s mobile head TM Roh later stated that it’s working on the technology but not yet ready to launch it to the public. Roh said Samsung doesn’t want to bring a gimmicky system with limited functionality. It is building something robust.
The Samsung executive hinted at a nearing launch of the technology. A few weeks after his comments, the company announced a satellite connectivity system that allows direct two-way communication (sending and receiving) between mobile devices via satellite. While the newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldables also missed out on it, the Galaxy S24 series looks likely to feature this next-gen communication technology.
“I cannot say for sure, but I know that the domestic industry is considering commercializing the service next year, expecting that a standard related to satellite communication will be prepared next year,” Lee said in an interview with the South Korean publication Yonhap News Agency [machine translated]. While the government official didn’t name any company, he was responding to a question about when Samsung phones will get satellite connectivity.
Samsung wants to offer a complete satellite communication system on Galaxy devices
The tech industry has been pushing to add satellite connectivity to smartphones for a few years now. Last year, Huawei and Apple introduced the technology with the Mate 50 Pro and iPhone 14 series, respectively. However, the functionality is quite limited. Huawei only allows the sending and receiving of short text messages, while Apple only lets users make emergency rescue requests.
Samsung wants to offer two-way sending and receiving of messages as well as small-sized images. It has teamed up with Virginia-based satellite communication company Iridium Communications to make this happen. The two firms have been working on the tech for about three years now. It appears they are all set to debut the system early next year. The Galaxy S24 series should go official in the first quarter of 2024. You can expect to hear more about Samsung’s satellite communication system ahead of that.
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