Apple remains the leading manufacturer of satellite-enabled smartphones worldwide, with forecasts showing such devices will reach 46% of total smartphone shipments by 2030, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research.
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The company’s report on Smartphone Satellite Connectivity states that Apple started the satellite phone trend when it partnered with Globalstar to bring Emergency SOS via satellite to the iPhone 14 in 2022 and has maintained a clear lead ever since. Samsung leads the Android ecosystem, while Huawei and Google also take a proprietary approach. Other Android players, such as Xiaomi, OPPO, HONOR, and vivo, have aligned with the 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) standard to enable broader scalability and interoperability.
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The market is currently dominated by the premium segment, with a lack of compelling everyday use cases limiting wider adoption. 3GPP Release 17 only supports SOS messaging and basic location sharing. Release 18 is expected to further expand adoption to premium brands, but penetration into the mass consumer market in the mid-range is not expected until Release 19.
Qualcomm leads among Android vendors with its Snapdragon X80 and X85, with MediaTek, Samsung, Google and Huawei increasing competition. North America is the leading region for adoption, with partnerships with carriers such as T-Mobile with SpaceX, AT&T with AST Mobile and Rogers with SpaceX, combined with Apple's deal with Globalstar. Amazon's acquisition of Globalstar is seen as a notable development, potentially opening up new revenue streams from connectivity as a service.
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Counterpoint expects Apple, Google and Samsung to lead overall market penetration by 2030, with Android brands targeting entry-level and mid-range prices seeing slower adoption. Apple recently agreed to a new satellite deal with Amazon following its acquisition of Globalstar and has several new satellite features in development, including satellite Maps, satellite photos in Messages and a satellite API for third-party apps.
