Apple has hired a team of aerospace engineers for a project that can transmit data wirelessly through satellites. Bloomberg has reported that it is a project by Apple, which is at its early stage and still under screening. If the project doesn’t prove feasible, it might get scrapped by the tech giant.
The primary motto of the company is to develop such a technology that communicates wirelessly by sending and receiving data through satellite. If this becomes a success, users would be able to connect with Apple devices without using a third-party network.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is not developing its own satellite. Instead, it is developing transmission devices or ground-based instruments to make the data transmission possible. The technology is anticipated either to deliver data right into the iPhone or to connect two apple devices independent of the carrier data network. The report also says that this technology will also be useful for finding correct locations and brings accuracy in maps.
Apple has hired professionals from the aerospace industry and satellite industry, which includes Skybox Imaging alumni Michael Trela and John Fenwick, who is leading the team. The two also have the experience of leading Google satellite and spacecraft division. New hires also include former Aerospace Corporation executive Ashley Moore Williams, as well as key personnel from the wireless networking and content-delivery network industries.
The idea seems fascinating, but it is challenging. The concept of enabling networking from space and connecting devices through satellite is not new but is not an easy task. Earlier, a company called Lynk, that focused on building a new kind of low Earth orbit communications satellite constellation that can communicate directly with phones.
From Lynk’s project, it can be anticipated that what a supplemental direct satellite communication network provide besides iPhone carrier service. It was meant to be for global communication purposes and to offer the fastest possible service. It ensures you to keep connected with operations like texting and calling irrespective of your main network connection.
Apple has started this operation secretly, and there are so many questions as to what exactly Apple is working on and the resulting technology the world will get. Apple might come out with flying colors, and the world may experience the always-on connectivity even when the main network is not available. This will be quite helpful for accessing routine applications like iMessage, streaming podcasts, social media, and other such applications.