British smartphone company Brit joined the fierce race to commercialize a satellite-enabled device on Friday, launching a new phone that can send text messages through space.
Falling into the “rugged” category of durable handsets, this phone comes in two versions. One, the Caterpillar branded Cat S75, is for the European market and is priced at €599 ($634.49). It covers North America with a starting price of $599.
Both phones come with 5G connectivity, 6.6-inch displays and 5,000 milliamp-hour batteries, which Britt said lasts for a full two days.
In Bullitt’s phones, messages are sent to geostationary satellites about 22,000 miles above the equator and sent to network infrastructure on Earth before reaching the user’s device.
The user will receive the message as a standard SMS. To reply, you’ll need to install Bullitt Messenger, the company’s own satellite messaging app.
A text takes about 10 seconds to pass, as opposed to the near-instantaneous speed of a cell phone. .
Bullitt’s new phone news comes shortly after Apple announced the launch of the iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 has the ability to contact emergency services via satellite. This feature is available in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Ireland.
Device makers like Apple and chip companies like Qualcomm are betting on the still-untapped opportunity to bring satellite phones into the hands of people in remote areas beyond the reach of terrestrial communications infrastructure.
By connecting to satellites, messages can be delivered to large areas of land that cannot be captured by cellular devices on Earth. Cellular base stations have a more limited range. This means that if you go too far from the base station, you will lose the signal.
It’s useful if you’re a hiker lost on a remote mountain trail, or a remote construction worker who needs to contact your boss but doesn’t have access to mobile data.
Satellite phones have been in development for decades, but have not yet become mainstream. Bullitt wants to change this with gear. Many satellite phones are clunky rectangular objects with large visible antennas. But Britt’s phone looks like a regular smartphone thanks to a satellite-ready chip from Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek.
Brit’s Senior Director of Applications and Product Marketing Tim Shepard told CNBC:
“Reliable communication beyond the traditional reach of cellular networks is a major issue for many, and satellite technology has now reached the right maturity to address this issue.”
According to Bullitt, the company’s phones are a step ahead of Apple’s, allowing for two-way SMS messaging and an Emergency SOS feature developed in partnership with critical event management company Focuspoint International. increase.
Bullitt’s two-way messaging service is priced at €4.99 for a basic plan of 30 messages per month, €9.99 for 125 messages per month, and €29.99 for 400 messages per month.
In contrast, rival Garmin charges a one-time activation fee of £19 for 10 texts, £32 for 60 texts, £58 for 250 texts and £35 per month.
Apple’s Emergency SOS feature without two-way messaging enabled is free for two years after activation on iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone maker has not disclosed the price of the service after that period ends.
Bullitt also offers a Bluetooth accessory, the Motorola Defy Satellite Link. This connects any Android or iOS device to the company’s Bullitt Satellite Messenger app, effectively turning any phone into a satellite phone. A pack of devices, priced at $99, will be available in the second quarter.
Ben Wood, lead analyst at CCS Insight, said Bullitt is targeting niche markets and its solutions are better suited to countries with large tracts of land such as the United States and Australia.
“The company is a pioneer in satellite messaging, but the competition is fast-paced,” Wood told CNBC. “That said, the target market for the company’s devices is very well suited for this technology, so it has a lucrative niche to target.”
Brit will support satellite coverage in Europe and North America at launch, followed by Australia and New Zealand, Africa and Latin America by mid-2023.
The company was previously responsible for something called the Cat S60, the world’s first thermal imaging smartphone, back in 2016.
