Android 14 Will Add Satellite Connectivity Support
Android 14 will reportedly add satellite connectivity support. The operating system is likely to be released in 2023.
Android 14 is expected to bring many changes compared to Android 13. However, there has been no leak about the details of the latest operating system.
A week ago T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a possible partnership smartphone directly connected to the satellite via Starlink V2 support.
The satellites will operate on telephones using bands in the PCS spectrum. At about the same time, Google SVP Platform & Ecosystems tweeted.
Hiroshi Lockheimer announced that the company is working to build satellite communication support into the next version of Android model (v14).
It’s not yet clear what software updates will be required. T-Mobile and SpaceX are expected to begin beta testing of the new satellite in late 2023.
The timing coincides with the release of Android 14. For the early stages, coverage is only for the United States. Furthermore, the service will be extended to all countries.
The telephone quote from GSM ArenaFriday (2/9/2022), connectivity will be slow, ie 2Mbps-4Mbps per cellular zone, but enough for hundreds of thousands of text messages.
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Not just regular SMS, MMS will be supported, including participating messaging apps.” Voice call and mobile data support will be added.
For general Internet browsing is not yet known. However, the service must have bandwidth which is sufficient for 1,000-2,000 voice calls.
Apart from satellite connectivity, Android 14 will discontinue Android Beam. This means that version 14 will completely remove Android Beam from Android devices.
Google is pushing its own Nearby Share as a replacement. Since it’s not part of AOSP, there’s no built-in incentive for Android makers to use it.
In fact, the biggest Android brand has joined the Mutual Transfer Alliance which is designing alternative local data transfer solutions. We’ll just have to wait for the release. [SN/HBS]
