What happened
Apple is developing new satellite-based features for future iPhones, expanding beyond existing emergency and messaging functions. These include satellite-powered Apple Maps for navigation without Wi-Fi or cellular, and enhanced messaging to support photo transmission. Further developments encompass 5G NTN support for cell tower satellite utilisation, and a third-party API for satellite connectivity integration. Apple aims to enable satellite access from within pockets, cars, or indoors, removing the requirement for direct sky visibility. While currently using Globalstar, Apple may introduce its own satellite service.
Why it matters
The expansion of satellite connectivity, particularly with indoor and obscured device operation, introduces a significant visibility gap for network and security operations. Traditional network monitoring and control mechanisms, reliant on cellular or Wi-Fi infrastructure, will be less effective in identifying and managing data flows originating from these new satellite pathways. This increases exposure for IT security and compliance teams to unmonitored data transmissions and raises due diligence requirements for data governance and access control policies, as device location and connectivity status become harder to ascertain through conventional means.
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