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Globalstar devices were already pretty small even 10 years ago. I think they only require a 2W transmitter, whereas Iridium requires 10W. And their satellites a

Globalstar devices were already pretty small even 10 years ago. I think they only require a 2W transmitter, whereas Iridium requires 10W. And their satellites are in more normal orbits rather than Iridium’s polar orbits, so coverage isn’t truly global. The satellite has to see you and a base station at the same time. Edit: Globalstar modem data sheet: https://www.globalstar.com/Globalstar/media/Globalstar/Downloads/Products/STX3/STX3-Sell-Sheet.pdf https://www.globalstar.com/Globalstar/media/Globalstar/Downl...

kotaKat 4y ago
And Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays ever since. There were periods of time that the Globalstar network was literally requiring you to use a "call times tool" to determine the paltry 10 to 20 minute windows at a time every hour you could even get a call out on the system. They were so desperate to keep customers that you could get a satphone for a whole $40 a month - with unlimited! calling. They then, finally, a few years back, launched their Sat-Fi2 service. Instead of using bent-pipe CDMA, they decided to use bent-pipe UMTS. As a Sat-Fi2 customer I can assure you I never got a working voice call, and barely working data. Globalstar was so impressed with their own technology they killed off this "next generation" service. Now to this day, they stopped selling satellite phones (while still allowing activation), dropped every single reference to the Sat-Fi and Sat-Fi2, and are pushing hard on their simplex burst data services.
- GeekyBear 4y ago
  > Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays >TAMPA, Fla. — Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5. The operator said Feb. 24 it picked MDA and Rocket Lab to supply a set of 17 satellites to replenish its constellation after a “potential customer” agreed to fund most of the $327 million project. The agreement includes an option for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each. https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-customer-for-terrestrial-connectivity/ https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-cu... A secret customer fronting large amounts of money to enable goods or services they want to offer is certainly in keeping with how Apple operates.
  - kylehotchkiss 4y ago
    $300mil is the cost of a widebody jet or two, that’s pretty reasonable for almost a constellation of satellites
tedivm 4y ago
> The satellite has to see you and a base station at the same time. The satellites aren't capable of a small amount of buffering? For text messages it shouldn't take up much space, and a lag on the delivery is better than no delivery at all.
- kylehotchkiss 4y ago
  That’s why apples choice is pretty meh, if there’s a large scale regional disaster that knocks out communications, globalstars local coverage isn’t going to really let people get around that like iridium or starlink could
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    In general any sort of large scale regional disaster will down any communications network, no matter how robust, as people panic and simultaneously try contacting emergency services or their loved ones.
    - lxgr 4y ago
      Exactly – in that scenario, who would you even message? If all infrastructure within hundreds of kilometers is down, you‘re unlikely to get help even if you can get a signal out.
      - bobthepanda 4y ago
        You don’t even have to have that large of a regional disaster affecting hundreds of kilometers. 9/11 took down all telephony in the NYC area due to panicking people overwhelming things. (9/11 was the worst terrorist disaster in the US, but until the towers started falling only the two towers and a few buildings that caught fire were directly impacted. If you were in, say, Brooklyn, you could see it happening but you were in the safe zone.)
- kotaKat 4y ago
  Nope. Globalstar's voice and data network (specifically) is a literal 'bent pipe'. They use modified CDMA base stations on the ground, and it's all CDMA end-to-end through the sky to the sat and back down to your phone. The original phone they offered (the GSP-1600) was a modification of a Qualcomm QCP-860 that they just slapped the Globalstar stuff on top of. The only difference here is that Globalstar's CDMA authentication was done on a SIM card inside the phone (which is a supported CDMA feature, R-UIM).

kotaKat 4y ago

And Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays ever since. There were periods of time that the Globalstar network was literally requiring you to use a "call times tool" to determine the paltry 10 to 20 minute windows at a time every hour you could even get a call out on the system. They were so desperate to keep customers that you could get a satphone for a whole $40 a month - with unlimited! calling. They then, finally, a few years back, launched their Sat-Fi2 service. Instead of using bent-pipe CDMA, they decided to use bent-pipe UMTS. As a Sat-Fi2 customer I can assure you I never got a working voice call, and barely working data. Globalstar was so impressed with their own technology they killed off this "next generation" service. Now to this day, they stopped selling satellite phones (while still allowing activation), dropped every single reference to the Sat-Fi and Sat-Fi2, and are pushing hard on their simplex burst data services.

GeekyBear 4y ago
> Globalstar's network has been in a variety of decays >TAMPA, Fla. — Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5. The operator said Feb. 24 it picked MDA and Rocket Lab to supply a set of 17 satellites to replenish its constellation after a “potential customer” agreed to fund most of the $327 million project. The agreement includes an option for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each. https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-customer-for-terrestrial-connectivity/ https://spacenews.com/globalstar-agrees-terms-with-global-cu... A secret customer fronting large amounts of money to enable goods or services they want to offer is certainly in keeping with how Apple operates.
- kylehotchkiss 4y ago
  $300mil is the cost of a widebody jet or two, that’s pretty reasonable for almost a constellation of satellites

tedivm 4y ago

> The satellite has to see you and a base station at the same time. The satellites aren't capable of a small amount of buffering? For text messages it shouldn't take up much space, and a lag on the delivery is better than no delivery at all.

kylehotchkiss 4y ago
That’s why apples choice is pretty meh, if there’s a large scale regional disaster that knocks out communications, globalstars local coverage isn’t going to really let people get around that like iridium or starlink could
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  In general any sort of large scale regional disaster will down any communications network, no matter how robust, as people panic and simultaneously try contacting emergency services or their loved ones.
  - lxgr 4y ago
    Exactly – in that scenario, who would you even message? If all infrastructure within hundreds of kilometers is down, you‘re unlikely to get help even if you can get a signal out.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      You don’t even have to have that large of a regional disaster affecting hundreds of kilometers. 9/11 took down all telephony in the NYC area due to panicking people overwhelming things. (9/11 was the worst terrorist disaster in the US, but until the towers started falling only the two towers and a few buildings that caught fire were directly impacted. If you were in, say, Brooklyn, you could see it happening but you were in the safe zone.)
kotaKat 4y ago
Nope. Globalstar's voice and data network (specifically) is a literal 'bent pipe'. They use modified CDMA base stations on the ground, and it's all CDMA end-to-end through the sky to the sat and back down to your phone. The original phone they offered (the GSP-1600) was a modification of a Qualcomm QCP-860 that they just slapped the Globalstar stuff on top of. The only difference here is that Globalstar's CDMA authentication was done on a SIM card inside the phone (which is a supported CDMA feature, R-UIM).