The changing winds of DTD
What started as a binary battle between DTD spectrum approaches is increasingly looking like an “and” rather than an “or” outcome. One year ago, the battles lines were drawn between MSS operators pushing the adoption of specialized DTD chips into phones (Apple/Globalstar and Qualcomm/Iridium) and Mobile Network Operators repurposing cellular spectrum for use from space (T-Mobile/Starlink and AT&T/AST SpaceMobile). Now, both approaches appear to be progressing along parallel paths to serve different roles and markets.
Android Authority, a respected outlet for green-bubble smartphone news, reported April 14 that Google’s next phone, the Pixel 9, will include Samsung’s Exynos Modem 5400 for satellite-enabled messaging. Samsung already confirmed in 2023 that its next flagship phones will have satellite messaging, also based on its modems. And several Chinese smartphones like the Oppo Find X7 and the ZTE Axon 60 Ultra have satellite connectivity (ZTE’s phone uses China Satcom’s regional Tiantong MSS system in GEO).
Smartphone OEMs are finding it increasingly important to have satellite SOS as a selling feature, but these services rely on narrowband connectivity, meaning the signal is strong but the data rates are low. That’s great for emergencies, but a fuller DTD experience with data and video requires more bandwidth, like the approach AST, SpaceX and others are pursuing.
This bifurcation has long existed in satcom, with companies like Globalstar, Iridium, Thuraya, and Viasat providing indispensable safety services from L- and S-band (narrowband) spectrum to planes, boats and warfighters. Satellite operators using higher bandwidth frequencies (C-, Ku-, Ka-) provide more robust internet services, but lack the resiliency required for emergency services. Both coexist. Similarly, DTD for SOS and high-bandwidth applications are moving in tandem. SpaceX launched six prototype DTD satellites in January, followed by six operational DTD satellites April 6. AST SpaceMobile received $155 million in strategic investments from AT&T, Google and Vodafone in January as the company works through supply chain issues to launch five satellites later this year. How DTD solutions will be adopted is still evolving, but the emerging pattern in 2024 is that the inevitable industry shakeout should see at least two winners.
SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/the-pixel-9-reportedly-gears-up-for-satellite-sos-support/