[Preview of the Weekly] How Mobile Satellite Communication Can Activate the Consumer Market (AI Translation)
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- Satellite communication is becoming a standard feature in high-end smartphones, with OPPO and Honor announcing new models following Huawei's Mate 60 Pro, the world's first satellite voice call smartphone.
- The integration of satellite communication into consumer phones has been made possible by miniaturizing dedicated terminal systems to fit into slim smartphones, with China Telecom leading the development in collaboration with manufacturers like Huawei.
- The future of satellite communication may involve a mix of high, medium, and low Earth orbit constellations for uninterrupted global coverage, but challenges remain such as cost reduction and regulatory adjustments for frequency use.
文｜财新周刊 翟少辉 覃敏
By Caixin Weekly's Zhai Shaohui and Tan Min
卫星通信正逐步成为高端智能手机新“标配”。2023年底，OPPO、荣耀同日宣布将发布支持卫星通话的新款手机，追赶华为步伐。四个月前，华为未发先售的Mate 60 Pro即为全球首款卫星语音通话智能手机。
Satellite communication is gradually becoming a new "standard feature" for high-end smartphones. By the end of 2023, OPPO and Honor announced on the same day their plans to release new models supporting satellite calls, following in Huawei's footsteps. Four months prior, Huawei's Mate 60 Pro, which was sold before its official launch, became the world's first smartphone capable of satellite voice calling.
华为自2020年9月被美国彻底断供，在缺乏5G芯片的劣势下，另寻创新出路。2022年9月，华为率先在Mate 50手机上推出北斗卫星消息，即通过北斗卫星发送文字和位置信息。这是大众消费级手机首次不依赖外部设备、直接集成卫星通信功能。几乎同期，苹果亦在其iPhone 14上加入了卫星信息紧急联络的功能，同样仅能向指定通信人发送信息，无法接收回复。消费级手机竞逐卫星通信由此拉开序幕。
Since being completely cut off from supplies by the United States in September 2020, Huawei has been at a disadvantage due to the lack of 5G chips and has since sought innovative alternatives. In September 2022, Huawei took the lead by introducing Beidou satellite messaging on its Mate 50 smartphones, which allows users to send text and location information via the Beidou satellites. This marked the first time a consumer-grade smartphone integrated satellite communication capabilities without relying on external devices. Around the same time, Apple also added a feature for emergency satellite communication to its iPhone 14, which similarly only allows users to send messages to designated contacts without the ability to receive replies. The race for satellite communication capabilities in consumer-grade smartphones has thus begun.
“实现卫星短信之后，华为又通过天通卫星实现卫星语音通话，接下来则会向卫星数据传输发展，慢慢提高传输速率。”一名熟悉中国电信与华为合作的人士告诉财新，短信、语音主要通过高轨道卫星实现，数据则更多地要依赖低轨卫星，目标最终是将卫星通信完全装进手机。
"After achieving satellite messaging, Huawei has now realized satellite voice calls through TianTong satellites and will next develop towards satellite data transmission, gradually increasing the transmission rate," an individual familiar with the collaboration between China Telecom and Huawei told Caixin. Messaging and voice are mainly enabled through high-orbit satellites, while data relies more on low-orbit satellites. The ultimate goal is to fully integrate satellite communication into mobile phones.
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