Apple seeks to eliminate the dead spots for mobile phones, even though they expanded satellites, but Elon Musk’s Starlink doesn’t let it happen without a fight, according to an exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal. Sources talking to WSJ say SpaceX is now putting pressure on US federal regulators to stop Apple’s expansion of its Globalstar Satellite Service, which directly competes with SpaceX’s Starlink Network.
The pressure was reportedly intensified after discussions between the two companies collapsed. Originally, they tried to enter into an agreement to directly connect iPhones to Starlink satellites, but conversations ended without a direct deal. Instead, SpaceX and T-Mobile will be able to offer their alternative satellite services on Apple devices, a departure from Apple’s famous closed ecosystem.
Why satellite accessibility is limited
All satellites use radio frequencies to send signals to the ground. If too many satellites try to use the same frequency, the signals will be confused, degrading communication and slowing down data rates. To prevent this from happening, most geographical regions licenses specific radio frequencies to certain satellite providers.
The more radio frequencies that a single company controls, the more data it can send and the faster its communication will be. But if a company monopolizes too many radio frequencies in a region, it forces other satellite providers out.
Other providers must offer limited services on a smaller bandwidth or they choose completely, leading to dead zones without any service at all. Having a monopoly or a majority that is on satellite signals also allows the majority provider to increase costs. This results in price development consumers who depend on the provider of mobile phone service.
Apple and SpaceX compete for satellite dominance
So far, SpaceX has launched over 550 satellites, far more than Apple, allowing Starlink to dominate the satellite connection market. SpaceX launched its first Starlink -Satellite in 2018 and began offering limited access to its beta -internet service by 2020.
Apple did not start offering the service before two years later when it signed an agreement with Globalstar in 2022. Globalstar actually hired SpaceX to launch Apple’s satellites, which further complicated the bond between companies.
Currently, Apple devices use this satellite service to send texts and make SOS calls when no other cell service is available. With this expansion of its Globalstar partnership, Apple seeks to offer more connection in several remote areas outside of emergency scenarios – that will directly compete with Starlink.
This satellite space is marking the latest in a series of clashes between Apple and Elon Musk. Apple and Tesla are previously clashed over the distribution of X on Apple devices as well as the development of self-driving cars using AI models.