If you have no reach on your smartphone you can’t video call, you would think. This year Europe will change.
VideoBellen via the satellite is coming to Europe this year
This year we can video calling everywhere in Europe, even if you have no reach on your phone. This is thanks to a collaboration between Vodafone and Ast Spacemobile. Already in 2023 AST Spacemobile has shown that smartphones can send speech messages via satellites. Now they can also send video calls via a satellite.
The company has now started a collaboration with Vodafone. In a video on YouTube you can see how they video calling via satellite. One of the callers stood in a remote mountain area in Wales where there is normally no reach. The conversation seems to be being conducted between an iPhone and an Android device.
The company has said that they want to make technology available in Europe later this year. And that the entire coverage must be arranged by the end of 2026. Other countries such as America are only when the service is available in Europe. It is also not yet known how much these functions will cost to use.
SOS emergency notification: Messages via satellite
With the iPhone 14, Apple has the option to get one via satellite SOS emergency notification introduced. In the event of an accident, the feature makes it possible to share a short message with your location to your emergency contacts, even if you are not close to a telephone mast. Your location will then be visible in the ‘find my’ app. This way you can always ask for help with, for example, crime, fire or injury.
In the Netherlands you will probably not need it often. But when you go on holiday abroad, the position will certainly come in handy. It often happens that you have no mobile reach abroad.
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