{"id":503230,"date":"2026-05-26T10:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/503230\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:34:12","slug":"apple-iphone-18-pro-to-debut-game-changer-satellite-upgrade-report-says-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/503230\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple iPhone 18 Pro To Debut \u2018Game-Changer\u2019 Satellite Upgrade, Report Says"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Apple<\/p>\n

Apple iPhone 17 Pro \u2014 will iPhone 18 Pro have improved satellite connectivity built into its hardware?<\/p>\n

AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

May 26 update: this post, first published on May 24, was updated with more details of what the new satellite features are likely to be. <\/p>\n

When Apple releases its next iPhones, almost certainly in September, a new modem is likely to be on board which could transform the satellite capabilities of the smartphones. <\/p>\n

ForbesSony Launches Reon Pocket Pro Plus Wearable Air Conditioner In Time For Summer HeatwavesBy David Phelan<\/a><\/p>\n

The three phones expected, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and Apple\u2019s first folding phone, perhaps called the iPhone Ultra, a rumored to contain a new Apple-branded modem, the Apple C2.<\/p>\n

If the mention of a modem is enough for your eyes to glaze over, hold on, it is interesting, honest. <\/p>\n

Apple’s Custom C2 Modem To Replace Qualcomm<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to providing 5G cellular connectivity (replacing Qualcomm modems), C2 will also support 5G over satellite,\u201d 9to5Mac<\/a> reported.\u201dSpecifically, C2 is said to offer 5G NR-NTN. This \u2018New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks\u2019 technology integrates satellite connectivity with 5G cellular.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is 5G NR-NTN Satellite Technology A Game-Changer?<\/p>\n

If correct, this would mean Apple\u2019s full satellite services would finally catch up with the features offered by Starlink to carriers such as T-Mobile, which one analyst described as a \u201cgame-changer.\u201d<\/p>\n

When T-Mobile launched its service last year, podcaster Mario Nawfal said on X<\/a>, \u201cGame-changer: Apple quietly adds Starlink to iPhones\u2026giving users an alternative to their Globalstar service for off-grid communication. The key difference? No more pointing your phone at the sky – Starlink works right from your pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be clear, the addition of this service did not install Starlink on iPhones, it meant that the carrier, T-Mobile, enabled the capability to access Starlink. It didn\u2019t work for iPhones on other networks, unless they signed up to the T-Satellite contract. This is something which was available for a separate monthly fee to users whose phones were on other carriers.<\/p>\n

This system would mean that all users with the right iPhone hardware would see the benefits, almost certainly at no cost, and whichever carrier they used.<\/p>\n

Currently, it\u2019s when another service, such as roadside assistance via satellite, is employed that the user bears extra costs. <\/p>\n

That said, Apple has not guaranteed that access to satellites will be available free forever \u2014 it\u2019s initially offered for two years from the purchase of the handset, though Apple has extended this period for the first phones that had satellite features, such as the iPhone 14 series. <\/p>\n

Seamless, Automatic Off-Grid Connectivity<\/p>\n

The new modem could mean that users will have more comprehensive access to satellites, though in Apple\u2019s case to Globalstar rather than Starlink. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne benefit of 5G NR-NTN is that users may not need to manually point their iPhone at a satellite anymore,\u201d 9to5Mac went on, adding, \u201cThe new technology could enable iPhone 18 Pro to automatically fall back to a satellite connection when cell coverage is poor. If iPhone 18 Pro makes satellite connectivity that easy and seamless, it could turn what\u2019s currently a niche feature into an everyday benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The word \u201cgame-changer\u201d can be over-used, but effortless satellite connectivity becoming second-nature on the iPhone, whichever carrier you\u2019re with, justifies the term, I\u2019d say. <\/p>\n

ForbesApple Teases iOS 27 AI Upgrades With Major Accessibility Overhaul To iPhoneBy David Phelan<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Apple iPhone 17 Pro \u2014 will iPhone 18 Pro have improved satellite connectivity built into its hardware? AFP…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[74],"tags":[217833,145087,217835,18,19,60763,217834,200204,17,82],"class_list":["post-503230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-5g-nr-ntn-satellite","tag-apple-c2-modem","tag-apple-globalstar-partnership","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-iphone-18-pro-max","tag-iphone-satellite-connectivity","tag-iphone-ultra","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116640433485710864","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}