But in a couple of years, people will be able to get calls and broadband, too. But from MediaTek point of view, we are ready with the solution,” Jain added.Currently, there are 5-6 devices available in the market globally, including the iPhone 14 and 15 models, that support satellite connectivity. “They are focusing on proprietary because they want to make money,” Soin added.In India, the government is soon expected to grant mobility services authorisation to GMPCS (broadband-from-space) licence holders Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel . This will pave the way for companies to offer satellite wireless connectivity to consumers having handsets enabled for the technology.Experts are of the view that while satcom services are currently complementary to terrestrial services, they can in the future compete as the technology evolves. With 3GPP standards-based NTN that MediaTek is promoting, everyone who owns a regular 5G smartphone will eventually have access to satellite communication,” MediaTek said.

Source: Economic Times October 19, 2023 13:31 UTC