It has been one of the most notable developments of the Mobile World Congress 2024 held in Barcelona recently: a new device that can be equally useful for both companies and individual users. Thuraya presents the Skyphone that will never lose coverage.
It is an Android smartphone whose operation is exactly the same as any other smartphone, but it has an interesting resource in situations where you are left without coverage: the possibility of using a large retractable satellite antenna to obtain satellite connectivity for voice and SMS communications.
This prototype has been exhibited these days at the world mobile phone fair, although there is no definitive information about medium-term marketing plans. Its developer, Thuraya, is a subsidiary company of Yahsat, the Abu Dhabi company specialized in satellite connections.
(Almost) global coverage
Without a doubt, it is a model that has raised a lot of expectations. The promise of have complete coverage at any time and anywhere in the world.
It's not an exaggeration. Thanks to satellite connection technology, Thuraaya Skyphone users will enjoy connections for calls and SMS almost everywhere on the planet. At least in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. This satellite connection is made through two large geostationary satellites that orbit about 700 kilometers from Earth. This, although it seems crazy, is still considered as "low orbit". The famous Starlink satellites, for example, operate at a distance of 550 kilometers.
This is the official video of its presentation:
The most interesting aspect of this idea is the versatility of a mobile phone that we can use in two different ways, depending on the circumstances:
- In places where there is normal coverage, directing the call through the Mobile Network. That is, exactly the same as how 99% of the mobile phones on the market work.
- In locations without network coverage (for example, offshore), through the satellite network, but without having to sign up for a new number or having to use two different devices.
According to Ali Al Hashemi, executive director of the Yahsat group, these advanced capabilities of the Skyphone for use on several continents, together with a consumer-friendly design, make this mobile a unique proposition within the current panorama. He has also pointed out that its launch will involve the opening of new markets, such as adventure and business travel, as well as the possibility of offering connection options to users who live in isolated regions.
The retractable antenna
The key element of the Thuraya Skyphone design is the aforementioned retractable satellite antenna, which can be hidden when not needed and easily deployed when satellite connection service is required.
In any case, it is something essential: all satellite terminals must have an external antenna with which to capture the signal from the satellite and broadcast their own strongly. It must be admitted that It is not exactly an ergonomic element, as it makes carrying the phone in your pocket quite uncomfortable, if not impossible.
Luckily, on the Skyphone this antenna is retractable: When folded, a small button on the top of the phone barely shows. By clicking on it, the antenna is released, which we can fully extend manually. Very practical.
From an aesthetic point of view, the presence of the antenna inevitably evokes those Rudimentary mobile phone models from the late 90s. However, when the antenna is retracted, the Skyphone can perfectly pass as just another smartphone sold today.
Other details of the Thuraya Skyphone
Thuraya Skyphone technology is based on the latest operating system Android 14 and has a Qualcomm Octa-core Kryo processor to ensure high performance and good fluidity.
A complete list with the specifications of this peculiar smartphone has not been provided, although some important details were revealed at the MWC event in Barcelona. For example, we know that the screen is a 6,67-inch AMOLED protected by a Gorilla Gass panel and will come equipped with a front camera, as well as a set of three rear cameras, of which the main one will be 50 MP. It has also been revealed that the device will have a degree of protection IP67 against dust and water.
The device will have two nano-SIM card slots for terrestrial and satellite connection. It can also be used with mobile operator SIM cards from any of the more than 370 roaming partners Thuraya has in more than 170 countries around the world.
In Spain, for example, the company has a collaboration agreement with Telefónica. The company's objective is for the bill to be unique, and for it to include both normal mobile network calls and satellite calls. And that the service, of course, can be used both in the city and at the sea or in the mountains. Where necessary.
The rest of the details will be announced at the official presentation of the Skyphone, which will take place this year.
Price and Availability
Unfortunately, issues like the price, whether it will be cheap or expensive, the market launch date of this mobile or how to buy it, are still unknown. In the Skyphone website None of these details have yet been revealed, although it is possible to subscribe to it to receive all the updates that arrive. Everything indicates, however, that we will see it on the market at some point during the second half of 2024.
The Thuraya firm, founded in 1997, is part of the Yahsat group (Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC) and is considered a pioneer company in the mobile satellite services segment. With this innovative prototype, the manufacturer has proposed to combine the two major telephone and communications technologies in a single device: mobile and satellite. That is the true importance of the Skyphone.