In the earlier releasediOS 18.3 versionIn the update, Apple has added the ability for T-Mobile telecommunications service users in the United States to directly use iPhoneSatellite signal connection function.
Prior to this, the cooperation between T-Mobile telecommunications services and SpaceX's satellite Internet service Starlink was mainly only compatible with some mobile phones equipped with Android 15 operating system, or Samsung Galaxy S24 series, and specific mobile phones.
The official version update of iOS 18.3 released by Apple this time allows T-Mobile telecommunications service users to send and receive text messages through the Starlink satellite service in places with no signal, but at this stage it seems to be only available to a small number of users.
In its previous approval, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed Starlink and T-Mobile to use up to 7500 second-generation Starlink satellites to transmit internet signals to the Earth. The reason for limiting this to areas without telecommunications signals is to prevent satellite signals from interfering with other internet services.
The Federal Communications Commission has not yet decided whether to allow Starlink to increase the power of its satellites transmitting Internet signals to the ground, thereby providing sufficient network resources to support instant calls and video calls. Currently, it can only send and receive text messages.
T-Mobile said that receiving signals through satellite connections will allow users to send distress signals in emergencies and continue to stay in touch with the outside world through sending and receiving messages. It also claimed that through cooperation with Starlink, it has completed the provision of Internet signals in areas of approximately 50 square miles in the United States that have not been covered by traditional base stations, allowing more users to connect to the Internet via satellite.
