Samsung's foray into non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity, a crucial feature that supports satellite communication on mobile devices, has been a subject of considerable speculation and anticipation. The recent developments suggest Samsung's potential plans to incorporate satellite communication in its upcoming flagship models, particularly the Galaxy S24 series, but specific details remain veiled in ambiguity.
The Exynos 5300 modem, integrated into Samsung's Exynos 2400 mobile processor and Google's Tensor G2 (Pixel 7) and Tensor G3 (Pixel 8) chips, is known to support NTN connectivity. However, the pertinent question looms as to whether Samsung will activate satellite communication support on its Exynos 2400 chip, expected to power the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, or opt for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, likely to feature in the top-tier Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Amidst the uncertainty, the fate of Samsung's preceding models, including the Galaxy S23 series (S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra), Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Z Fold 5, regarding their ability to offer emergency satellite connectivity remains unclear. TM Roh, president of Samsung's mobile experience business division, previously acknowledged the restrictions and challenges in integrating satellite functionality into smartphones, suggesting it was premature for Samsung to implement this feature.
Reports citing Samsung Electronics System LSI Business Head Yong-In Park indicated the company's forthcoming strides toward enabling satellite communication in smartphones. Park purportedly shared during a recent presentation at the 2023 Semiconductor Expo that Samsung was preparing to introduce satellite communication support in its smartphones, likely with the upcoming Galaxy S24 series expected to debut in the first quarter of 2024.
While Park hinted at Samsung's readiness to facilitate smartphone communication through satellites, specific details, such as the timeline for enabling this functionality or which devices will incorporate it, remain undisclosed.
In the realm of smartphone technology, Apple has already introduced support for NTN communication via the Emergency SOS satellite feature in the iPhone 14 series, extending to their latest offerings like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Qualcomm had also previously unveiled Snapdragon Satellite support for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, though it was not activated in the Samsung Galaxy S23 series earlier this year.
