The Apple iPhone 13 may offer satellite connectivity

There is a fun rumour about the iPhone 13! If Apple sticks to its traditional schedule, we're just weeks away from a new iPhone, and so far the buzz has been mild and, dare I say, boring. However, prominent Apple forecaster and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is now claiming that the iPhone 13 could have the ability to make built-in satellite calls, according to MacRumors.

In a note to investors, Kuo claims that the iPhone 13 will be able to connect directly to Low Earth Orbit (or LEO) satellites thanks to a custom Qualcomm X60 baseband chip. LEO satellites are probably best known as the backbone of Elon Musk's Starlink Internet service, which relies on satellites in a lower orbit to transmit Internet to customers and avoid some of the common satellite Internet errors, including high latency and common blackouts.

But Starlink is not the only company using LEO satellites for connectivity. Hughesnet and OneWeb have combined forces to deploy a Starlink competitor and Immarsat announced a new constellation aimed at merging with 5G terrestrial networks for a more global solution. More crucial to this iPhone rumour is Globalstar, which saw its stock skyrocket earlier this year when Qualcomm announced that its next X65 chip would be compatible with Globalstar's Band n53 technology. 3GPP had previously approved Band n53 as a 5G band.

If this rumour is true, the X60 would likely be compatible with another 5G element, which is currently comprised of a full mix of technologies, including the ultra-fast but limited-range millimetre-wave and the more extended, but slower C-band. LEO 5G would provide support in places that do not yet have towers that carry the other forms of 5G speed, particularly useful in many rural areas that often struggle to get 3G or 4G connectivity.

It remains to be seen what that means for battery life. There is also the tree factor. Hopefully, the X60 chip in the iPhone 13 won't be as susceptible to arboreal interference as Starlink's Dishy McFlatface.