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At its Far Out event, Apple announced the new iPhone 14 series comprising iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max bring a lot of new things onboard, including the two much-talked about features – ‘Crash detection’ and ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ that Apple hopes you do not have to use, but these can prove helpful when needed. However, for now, you would not be able to use the latter one, the ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ feature, in India.
Why ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ is not available in India
In order to enable ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ in India, Apple needs to partner with satellite communication (satcom) providers in the country, or telecom operators need to tie up with satcom players, like T-Mobile partnered with SpaceX.
So, currently, one cannot use the ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ feature in India. However, maybe in the future we could get the feature in India if either of these happens.
Apple says that ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ will not work on iPhone 14 models purchased in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macao. As India is not on the list, the feature would be available on the iPhone 14 Pro models purchased in the country, but users would not be able to use the ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ since there is no service provider to support the feature.
The government of India does not allow the normal public to use satellite phones as it could pose a risk to national security. Only defence personnel, rescue teams or authorised personnel can use satellite phones. Using a satellite phone in India requires specific permission/NOC from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
So, there are also chances that Apple may put a regional lock on the satellite connectivity feature in India. This may be something similar to the lock on Facetime in iPhones sold in the UAE.
Why ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ is not available in India
In order to enable ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ in India, Apple needs to partner with satellite communication (satcom) providers in the country, or telecom operators need to tie up with satcom players, like T-Mobile partnered with SpaceX.
So, currently, one cannot use the ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ feature in India. However, maybe in the future we could get the feature in India if either of these happens.
Apple says that ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ will not work on iPhone 14 models purchased in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macao. As India is not on the list, the feature would be available on the iPhone 14 Pro models purchased in the country, but users would not be able to use the ‘Emergency SOS via Satellite’ since there is no service provider to support the feature.
The government of India does not allow the normal public to use satellite phones as it could pose a risk to national security. Only defence personnel, rescue teams or authorised personnel can use satellite phones. Using a satellite phone in India requires specific permission/NOC from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
So, there are also chances that Apple may put a regional lock on the satellite connectivity feature in India. This may be something similar to the lock on Facetime in iPhones sold in the UAE.
