New Delhi: Tech giant Apple is collaborating with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch a new satellite that will enable emergency SOS service on its upcoming iPhone 15 series smartphones. This service, which was introduced in the iPhone 14 series last year, allows iPhone users to contact someone in case of an emergency when there are no mobile or Wi-Fi networks available. However, this service was only limited to a few countries.
Apple wants to expand its satellite service to the whole world and for that, it needs the help of SpaceX, which is a commercial satellite launch service company. SpaceX will charge $64 million for launching the new satellite, which will work with Globalstar, a satellite communications provider. The new satellite will offer emergency SOS service to both iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series smartphones.
The iPhone 15 series is expected to be launched on September 12, 2023. Apple said that the emergency SOS via satellite feature would be free for the first two years for the iPhone 14 users. After that, they will have to pay a fee to use it. The feature is currently available in these countries: United States, Canada, New Zealand, France, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy and Australia.
