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Does this work in the UK? EE iPhone 13 mini here. I love this phone and hope it will last another year!
I don’t think so!

If they did am sure you hear about as they would charge extra for it like they do for 5G SA unlike everyone else who includes in the plan as standard
 
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I wonder if this is available to T-Mobile MVNO’s like Mint.
Unfortunately no. T-Mobile and starlink have an exclusive beta testing period that ends in July. MVNO’s are not testing, even T-Mobile ones.

Maybe after July. They’re actually developing voice calls over satellite, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple announces that as an iOS 19 feature.
 
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I don’t think so!

If they did am sure you hear about as they would charge extra for it like they do for 5G SA unlike everyone else who includes in the plan as standard

Having looked it up online Vodafone UK have been the first to trial satellite connectivity:


Plus it’s currently being reviewed by OFCOM:

 
Unfortunately no. T-Mobile and starlink have an exclusive beta testing period that ends in July. MVNO’s are not testing, even T-Mobile ones.

Maybe after July. They’re actually developing voice calls over satellite, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple announces that as an iOS 19 feature.
Thanks for the info. I assumed that would probably be the case.
 
I am not sure how this works in real life, I don’t think the 13 has a “satellite modem” and I find it hard to believe that the satellite in 300+ miles distance has the 4G signal that covers that distance. I think the the cellular network plays a significant role, which is why it is limited to TM right now…
It's 300 miles away but it's line of sight; you have no terrain, buildings, etc. blocking the signal. Add the fact that you'd only be using this when in an isolated area away from regular cellular towers and interference, with a sensitive enough receiver in the satellite and a powerful enough transmitter, an LTE/cellular connection can be established.

Don't expect to be able to stream video or anything, but for sending texts and such it'll be enough.
 
Interesting and encouraging development. I wondered why Apple stopped at the iPhone 13 and didn't also include the 12? This isn't a complaint, I just wonder what is the precise technical difference between the two models that explains why the 13 can be retrofitted but not the 12.

I assume it has to do with the modem (Qualcomm X55 in the 12, X60 in the 13), but again, what precisely is the deciding difference?
 
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I’ll save my anger for when Verizon tells me I can use this new feature for $10/month.
My old but current plan doesn’t even give me access to the mmWave on 5G. No way they give me satellite texting without an add on.
Oh wow, it hadn't occurred to me that this even involves Verizon at all. Maybe naive, but I thought this was just bypassing their network completely.
 
Really curious how this would work without the dedicated satellite chip.

Perhaps they haven't seen a mini because many mini owners tend to keep our iPhones in our pockets instead of constantly holding them or setting them on the restaurant table.
I saw a bunch of people using iPhone minis in Tokyo!
 
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How is this possible?
Due to a poorly written article, no one knows. When in an article about iPhone 13 having satellite connectivity they write "Apple has included built-in satellite connectivity in all iPhones dating back to the iPhone 14 lineup", it's a pretty natural question to ask how the 13 is able to do this, but the article doesn't address it at all. Too bad.
 
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