News & Reviews:   satellite

The Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) is currently studying the use of satellites as cell towers in an effort to improve the communications system in the country. Its Minister, Fahmi Fadzil said the technology can be implemented in cooperation with telco companies.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced that it planned to set up a satellite-based communication system. Snapdragon Satellite was supposed to launch within half a year of the announcement. However, the deal has officially ended.

From to time, we would hear stories of how the Apple Watch Series saved people from a certain situation. Now, someone was saved by Apple's new Emergency SOS after becoming stranded in Alaska.

Communicating over satellite is a new trend in the smartphone industry. Not only Apple launched an SOS and location-sharing system with the iPhone 14 series, but T-Mobile and SpaceX are working on a more general communication system by using SpaceX's Starlink satellites. Now, it's announced that Bullitt and MediaTek will work together to launch the "first satellite-to-mobile messaging smartphone" in the first three months of 2023.

The Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Tan Sri Annuar Musa has lauded the MEASAT-3d satellite’s capabilities to close the digital gap in our country. Moreover, the satellite’s ability to widen high-speed internet coverage to rural areas will enable 100 percent internet connectivity in Malaysia.

According to a statement by Elon Musk, it seems that SpaceX's Starlink will come out of beta somewhere around October 2021. While not much is known in regards to the Malaysia release date, it does give us a better idea of when to expect the aforementioned service.

Under the Jendela Initiative, it seems that around 839 locations across 8 Malaysian states will be getting broadband access service via Satellite by October 2021. The locations mentioned comprised mostly of rural areas and Orang Asli settlements that are relatively hard to access and deploy effectively.