Apple will spend $450 million to launch emergency satellite service for iPhone 14 - it will be available by the end of fall in the U.S. and Canada

Apple will have to spend a significant amount of money to make the new feature for the iPhone 14, which allows you to send SMS via satellite.

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The American giant announced the allocation of $450 million. Part of the money will be spent to pay for the company's Globalstar satellites and ground equipment. At the same time, the Cupertino-based manufacturer will not acquire a stake in Globalstar.

The iPhone 14 smartphones will be able to connect to satellites that are in low earth orbit. The new feature will make it possible to send messages to emergency services even in the absence of cellular network coverage. But not in automatic mode. Globalstar's 300 call center specialists will be responsible for processing the signals. To ensure the function, Apple specialists have created special antennas that will be installed on Globalstar's ground equipment.

Apple will transfer funds from the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which was created to support U.S. companies in 2017. Since its inception, the fund has paid $450 million to Corning, maker of Gorilla Glass, and another $350 million was spent to fund the Finisar plant, which makes laser components for the Face ID system.

Owners of the iPhone 14 will be able to use satellite connectivity by the end of the fall. The new feature will be activated after one of the iOS updates. However, at first it will only be available in the U.S. and Canada. During two years the connection to the satellites will be free.

Source: Apple