The economic amount that Apple is going to pay to SpaceX to put those satellites in the fray to make the SOS emergency function via satellite a reality for the new iPhone.
Manzana is looking to update the communication network for its important SOS emergency function, which is compatible with the new iPhones, but it will be a long-term investment and will have SpaceX as its main ally. Elon Musk.
It has just been confirmed that Apple’s satellite partner Globalstar has hired SpaceX for Elon Musk to launch new satellites that are to be used to upgrade the communication network for the SOS emergency function of which the new ones are compatible iphone.
Specifically, Globalstar will pay SpaceX 64 million dollars in payments that will be made between 2023 and 2025dates on which the launch of the different satellites is expected.
The SOS emergency function via satellite has already been introduced with the iPhone 14, and all these models are compatible, as will happen with the new iPhone 15 that will be presented in a few days.
Thanks to this functionality, if the iPhone user is in trouble and does not have a data network, they can use this new satellite network to contact emergency services.
A functionality that will not always be free
Although this SOS emergency functionality via satellite will be free for the first few years, it will not be free afterwards.
In this way, the user may choose to pay an additional amount every month to have an emergency via satellite, if they consider it appropriate.
It should be remembered that Globalstar agreed to allocate 85% of its current and future network capacity to iPhones by also providing staff, software, satellite systems and much more.
This is a very important investment from Apple given that 64 million dollars is not small, an amount that will increase for other maintenance costs, so it makes some sense that they end up charging users for the use of this service.