Apple may be about to take satellite connectivity on the iPhone far beyond emergency SOS texting. According to recent claims from a respected leaker, smartphones in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup could support 5G internet over satellites as early as this year.
Since the iPhone 14 series, Apple has offered limited satellite connectivity for things like Emergency SOS via satellite, off-grid location sharing, and messaging when cellular and Wi-Fi are unavailable. Those features rely on satellites as a backup path to send specific types of communications through Apple’s current partners.
But the next evolution could be much more capable.
In a recent Weibo post, leaker Fixed Focus Digital claims that Apple’s upcoming C2 modem — expected to debut alongside the **A20 chipset in the iPhone 18 Pro this fall — will support NR-NTN (New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks) technology. That standard is designed to allow smartphones to connect directly to satellites for 5G internet access, rather than just enabling limited emergency messages.
If true, this would let compatible iPhones deliver regular internet connectivity via satellites, potentially anywhere on Earth, bypassing cell towers altogether.
This isn’t an isolated whisper. Earlier reports claimed Apple is planning to support “5G networks that aren’t tethered to Earth’s surface” in other words, satellite-based internet access in iPhones as soon as next year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman later echoed the idea, suggesting that Apple’s long-term goal is to expand satellite capabilities beyond emergency functions and toward broader connectivity.
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