Apple could switch iPhone satellite service to Starlink next year

Apple could move iPhone satellite service from Globalstar to SpaceX’s Starlink as soon as next year, a change that might bring full 5G satellite connectivity to high-end iPhones and alter how the devices work off the cellular grid. Reports say SpaceX has begun supporting the same radio-frequency spectrum Apple currently uses for its Emergency SOS via satellite feature and that the chairman of Globalstar has discussed selling the company for about $10 billion, developments that together could make a transition feasible ahead of the expected iPhone 18 Pro release.

Since the iPhone 14 launched in 2022, Apple has used Globalstar satellites to power Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone and Apple Watch models, enabling users to contact emergency services and send location data when there is no cellular service. That capability is limited to emergency messaging and, more recently, a handful of basic app functions, and it requires users to point their device toward the sky to establish a connection. Separately, SpaceX’s Starlink is already available to some mobile users through a partnership with a major carrier that offers a limited satellite messaging service, and SpaceX has been...