Google has announced that the next version of Android, 14, will support satellite communications. By 9to5GoogleTechnical support for the function will be handled by comic book company SpaceX and mobile operator T-Mobile.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president of platforms and ecosystems, said the Android team is currently working on development. Satellite is expected to reach the next version of Android in mid to late 2023.
According to Lockheimer, satellite connections will be slower than LTE and 5G. SpaceX president Elon Musk noted that satellite communications can support one to two thousand simultaneous voice calls, excluding text messages.
According to the company’s plans, satellite communications on phones will be required primarily for emergencies and the ability to communicate from dead zones of cellular communications.
Previously Apple’s completed the development Hardware part of satellite communication module for iPhone. However, the company cannot implement the new feature due to problems with carriers.