Apple and Elon Musk in Conflict Over Mobile Satellite Communications
The American corporation Apple has found itself in conflict with the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, billionaire Elon Musk, writes The Wall Street Journal. According to it, the iPhone manufacturer and SpaceX are competing in a race to eliminate so-called dead zones where there is no cellular communication.
Apple’s investment in satellite communications has angered Musk, according to the WSJ’s sources, prompting SpaceX to push federal regulators to stop Apple from pursuing the business. SpaceX recently asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject Globalstar’s application to allow it to use certain spectrum for a new network of satellites that would serve Apple’s program. According to the regulator’s filing, SpaceX argued that the spectrum used to transmit emergency signals to Apple users is an underutilized resource.
In August 2022, SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a joint project to provide text messaging in remote areas using the Starlink satellite constellation. Apple believes that SpaceX and T-Mobile’s announcement was made specifically to beat Apple to the launch of satellite-based emergency text messaging support for the iPhone.
Apple and SpaceX executives have at times discussed the possibility of directly linking iPhones to SpaceX satellites, but no such deal has been reached. The conflict between Musk and Apple pits the richest man on the planet against one of the world’s most valuable companies
