You don’t necessarily have to drive to the desert to not have a mobile network. Also in the Eifel, in the north of Brandenburg or in a sailing boat on the Baltic Sea, no cell phone reception is a well-known phenomenon.
But here in the desert west of the casino city of Las Vegas, we can still send SMS. Without a connection to the mobile network, the smartphone from the British manufacturer Bullitt radios a satellite in geostationary orbit. Bullitt Satellite Connect (BSC) is the name of the system that is being presented here at the CES technology fair.
Bullitt’s satellite service is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2023. And the English do not limit themselves to installation in devices such as the outdoor smartphone Moto Defy.
The service relies on hardware developed jointly with chip manufacturer Mediatek and an app called Bullitt Satellite Messenger. Electronics manufacturers can license this and build it into their own devices.
The fact that a smartphone can radio Inmarsat satellites at a distance of 36,000 kilometers is due to the Mediatek chip inside. It transmits signals in the L and S bands. SMS messages with 144 characters are currently possible, as well as text-based emergency calls. And you can not only send messages, but also receive them.
SMS transmission worked reliably under the test conditions in the desert on a cloudless day. The running time is almost 20 seconds. According to Bullitt, all you need is a clear view of the sky.
If there is then no contact via the mobile network, the messenger connects to the satellite. Recipients receive the satellite SMS as normal messages in their SMS app, can download the Bullitt app and reply.
And who needs that? BSC is not a system for city dwellers. But even when hiking away from the cities, on vacation, on sailing tours, in the mountains or – like here in the desert – one could at best stay in touch with friends and family. Or, worst case scenario, call for help.
Bullitt founder Richard Walton names other scenarios: rescue workers who need to be connected. Or millions of US citizens who were without power and cell phone service for days during the last hurricane in Florida.
Last but not least, the route via the satellite can be a simple way, especially for large countries, to plug network holes and save on expensive infrastructure. If there is no radio mast, you switch to the satellite.
And texting is just the beginning. Walton names ambitious goals in the conversation. Voice calls should be possible in two years. Data transmission is also planned.
Bullitt isn’t alone with satellite SMS service. Apple lets the current iPhone 14 communicate with Globalstar satellites. But currently only for emergency calls and position information.
Chip manufacturer Qualcomm, one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world, presented Snapdragon Satellite hardware and a similar service at CES. With the chips of the second generation of the Snapdragon 8 platform, manufacturers should be able to install satellite communication in their smartphones.
Qualcomm uses the L-band of the Iridium satellite system in low earth orbit for sending, and Garmin technology is used for emergency calls. In addition to smartphones, notebooks, tablets, cars or other networked devices could also use the satellites in the future.
Qualcomm keeps a low profile on prices. You see yourself as a technology supplier. What the manufacturers design with the hardware and the range of their own services is up to them.
At Bullitt, you’ve come a long way. Depending on the number of monthly messages, monthly subscriptions of between just under 5 and 30 euros are planned. 250 messages a year cost just under 60 euros. Recipients pay nothing, and the subscribers also pay for the answer by satellite.
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