For a few years now, with each announcement of a high-end smartphone, the same cognitive dissonance. When the Galaxy S25 was announced on the stage of Galaxy Unpacked in San José, in January 2025, the managers of the Korean brand announced it in black and white: the Galaxy S25 is capable of communicating by satellite.
Great! We can go hiking in white areas and other treks on little-used paths, if there is a problem, it will always be possible to call for help via satellite. Except that since the Galaxy S23, the same disappointment has befallen us shortly after the announcement: there will be no satellite communication in France.
Why is that? Our colleagues at Frandroid were able to talk with managers at Skylo, Samsung's subcontractor that provides its geostationary satellites and technology, and there is an explanation.
The need for an agreement with operators
While Samsung provides the technical means that allow the NB-IoT protocol to be used in its smartphones, it does not manage the infrastructure and communication part itself. He then relies on Skylo, as explained above.
An interesting parallel can be that of 4G and 5G technologies: in the same way, Samsung provides 4G and 5G antennas in its phones and even an eSIM, but not the subscription with an operator. The Korean firm does not take care of all the infrastructure of the antennas necessary for data communication either.
Read also Starlink on phone: when can we expect it in France?
And this is the missing link that explains why it is not possible to send an SMS by satellite with a Galaxy S25. Skylo must negotiate agreements with French operators (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free) in order to offer the service. Not only can the negotiations take time, but the question of financing the service does not seem to be completely resolved yet. Operators are probably thinking about premium offers integrating this technology, just like 5G SA, the “real 5G” as it is sometimes written, reserved for certain offers. In the United States for example, for the technology to work as it should, Skylo had to partner with the operator Verizon.
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