There are two lines of mobile phone models that had never overcome the radical change that the arrival of the iPhone represented in 2007. On the one hand, the phones that are advertised for "older people", with large keys and simple screens, and on the other , satellites, which are used in remote areas that are not covered by 2G/3G/4G and 5G operators. But that is about to change. In the third quarter of the year, the satellite communications specialist Thuraya will launch the Skyphone, a high-end Android mobile that is impossible to distinguish from any other on the market, but when it runs out of coverage it uses its large retractable satellite antenna to have communications. voice and SMS.
During this week, Thuraya has shown the Skyphone at the Mobile World Congress. It is the dream of complete coverage anywhere and anytime without having to change your usual mobile phone. The CEO of Thuraya, Sulaiman al Ali, explained to La Vanguardia that “you can use it like you use your phone. The beauty of this is that it has satellite capability for voice calls and text messages. So, when you are in remote areas, when you are in an area where there is no reliable connection, you can be sure that there are more than 150 countries where you will remain connected.”
Designing a smartphone that works anywhere is not easy. The Skyphone hides within its casing the large antenna that allows it to connect with satellites. While it is retracted, no one would distinguish it from any other ordinary mobile phone. Its operating system is Android 14. It has an eight-core Qualcomm Kryo processor, is certified as iP67 for water and dust resistance and has a 6.67-inch screen covered with Gorilla glass. It has three integrated rear cameras and one front camera and two nano-SIM card slots for both terrestrial and satellite connections.
The Skyphone will be available towards the third quarter of this year, between August and September and its price has yet to be defined, although it will not vary from what many high-end products cost. “We are well placed in terms of what the cost is and what the expected sales price is. If we compare it for example with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, its form factor is almost the same. The Apple one costs about $1,200 and it is true that it has satellite messaging connectivity, although unidirectional, only for emergencies and not everywhere. The Skyphone will be cheaper and will have two-way voice and SMS capability. So there you have it.”
In any case, the customer will not be able to buy the phone in a store or online, as they would with most models on the market. Thuraya's plan is to distribute it through operators in each country. “The idea is that they can offer the end user the normal terrestrial package: minutes, data, SMS, and add satellite minutes and satellite SMS,” says the senior executive. “We have more than 100 service partners. Some of them are already mobile operators. At the same time, we have roaming agreements with about 380 operators around the world. So through these two partnerships, we can ensure that the phone and the service reach the end user,” he notes.
Al Ali explained that this week he was walking around the Mobile World Congress and showed off the Skyphone at the booth of a company that is dedicated to messaging for smartphones. "When they saw it," he said, "they told me 'it's very nice, is it a model?' I told them no, this is a functional and very light work unit.” “The reaction of the people is very pleasant. Very exciting. This has given us a lot of energy,” commented the manager.
Previously, Thuraya had manufactured special cases for both iPhone and Android phones that provided satellite coverage to the devices, although they were very cumbersome solutions, far from the integrated way in which it has united the two technologies in the Skyphone.
