Phones with satellite calls are going to end up everywhere. The Skyphone is the first smartphone with cellular and satellite coverage in more than 150 countries.

There are more and more satellites in orbit and there are already mobile phones that take advantage of it. They are called 'satphones', those with the capacity to make voice calls taking advantage of satellites. We saw the first of these phones in 2019 and its price exceeded $1,200.

The advantage of a satellite phone is that it can practically cover the entire planet. In addition to connecting to traditional telephone networks, it also connects to satellite networks.

During the last Mobile World Congress we were able to see the Skyphone, a 'satphone' created by Thuraya, the Arab Emirates company that has specialized for a few years in this type of mobile phones with satellite connection.

The Skyphone is scheduled to arrive during Q3 2024 and is presented as "the first smartphone with a cellular and satellite connection." We have a fairly standard Android mobile but with the addition of that antenna that allows us to connect to the satellite network. With it they promise to have coverage in more than 150 countries and collaborate with more than 390 operators. Beyond this we have a mobile phone with a 6.67" AMOLED screen, Qualcomm processor, triple camera and 50 megapixel front camera.

In the future, even roads will be connected by 5G. And it will be thanks to a Spanish startup: Sateliot.

With satphones it is possible to travel to remote areas and still have coverage. At the moment they are still a niche product, but it will become increasingly common to be able to make these calls via satellite. Firstly because the technology that allows it is going to spread and secondly because the number of satellite networks is growing at a dizzying pace.

The Skyphone is not the only known model. The Mate 60 Pro, Huawei's beast, also offers satellite calling. The device incorporates a processor with 5G and boasts a satellite connection. However, the device has not gone on sale in Europe.

Although Apple flirted with satellite calling, for the moment it has not become a firm bet. The sector is waiting for satellite companies, operators and technologies to align to extend its use.

This has not happened yet. Qualcomm knows this well, which at the beginning of 2023 presented Snapdragon Satellite, its solution so that all devices that integrated its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors could offer these calls.

To do this, they took advantage of the Iridium network, based on the 66 low-orbit satellites that was launched in the 2000s. However, in November of last year Qualcomm decided to terminate its alliance with Iridium and put an end to the Snapdragon Satellite solution.