Do smartphone innovations spell the end of the communication gap?

By the end of 2024, new technological developments will have greatly reduced the likelihood of ever being unreachable by smartphone.

For starters, this will come as no surprise to owners of the iPhone 14, which included satellite connectivity as one of its features when it was released in September 2022. However, a new agreement between Qualcomm and Iridium will bring the same type of capability to Android smartphones in late 2023. Satellite connectivity means exactly what you think it means: where traditional phone signals are unavailable, the phone can connect to any of the passing communication satellites orbiting the planet and provide connectivity that way.

Satellite availability.

Satellite smartphone connectivity, previously an expensive and therefore emergency-only service, is expected to become the new normal in 2024, though at the moment, it's expected to remain a simple text message service, and ideally still only be used in emergencies, due to the complexity and cost implications of using satellites for messages.

Qualcomm, in particular, will be grateful for Android innovation, as its future as an iPhone contributor appears to be fading.

Iridium has a long history of developing satellite phones, having launched its first satellite into orbit in 1997. It was a long-time leader in ship-to-shore telephone communication for commercial shipping fleets all over the world. In 2016, it completed a full upgrade of its 75-satellite network.

Trickle-down technology.

It's worth noting that this satellite messaging capability will not be initially rolled out in low-cost smartphones - in a sign of trickle-down technology, Qualcomm stated that the satphone function, known as Snapdragon Satellite, will first be added to the company's premium chips, implying that it will be used as an upgrade-driver to the most expensive Android handsets. Another significant difference is that the technology will not be exclusive to any one smartphone manufacturer; it will be available to all manufacturers of premium Android products, with the decision to include the chips left to the manufacturers themselves.
That's a move aimed at both starting a "gold rush" of Android smartphone manufacturers to Qualcomm's door - which will be useful in late 2023 as Apple continues to phase out Qualcomm chips in its iPhones - and allowing Android smartphone manufacturers to take the premium service fight to the iPhone 14, with multiple manufacturers expected to take the bait if only to bite Apple where it hurts.

However, the service is expected to eventually reach non-premium Android devices such as laptops and tablets, as well as become available as a non-emergency service.

WhatsApp-by-proxy.

Furthermore, while its owner Meta is being fined over $400 million for data misuse, WhatsApp has announced that it will allow its users to connect and send messages through proxy servers if their regular internet connection is blocked, disrupted, or goes inexplicably "blip."

The announcement comes in the aftermath of blackouts in Iran, which WhatsApp claims "denied human rights" and prevented people who were suddenly cut off from receiving desperately needed assistance.

Again, the proxy server decision appears to have been motivated by emergency situations, but it is also expected to become widespread fairly quickly, with WhatsApp appealing to its two billion global users to volunteer potential proxy servers for use by other users in times of need. In a blog post,
It also stated that it would provide instructions on how to set up proxy servers in order to expand the network of available options.
"Connecting through a proxy maintains the same high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides," the company claimed. "Your personal messages will continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption, ensuring they remain between you and the person with whom you're communicating and are not visible to anyone in between, including proxy servers, WhatsApp, or Meta."

The point of proxies.

If you've never had your internet access suddenly cut off, proxy servers are a relatively quick solution - and can be used even in cases like the Iran incident, where the blackouts were officially sanctioned by the state government. The more proxy servers there are, the more difficult it is for any authority - whether a state government or a group of bad actors targeting individual technology clusters - to effectively restrict people's ability to communicate with others and/or receive news of developing situations.

WhatsApp has always provided end-to-end encryption on its messaging service (though when its competitor, Facebook Messenger, attempted to do the same, it was unsuccessful).
It sparked outrage around the world because it could allow abusers and paedophiles to groom children with impunity).

WhatsApp's latest move may be said to straddle the line between enhancing communication freedom for its user community and potentially interfering with a government's right to "switch off" lines of communication. While such rights are unlikely to be invoked by Western governments, the proxy server change may impede efforts to monitor and/or curtail communications by extremist groups.

The arrival of satellite smartphones and proxy-enabled WhatsApp messaging appear to spell the end of signal blind spots within the next 12-18 months. However, given the state of the economy and the slowing adoption of new smart devices in comparison to previous years, They may last longer than any of the tech titans investing in the developments anticipate.