More Chinese flagship smartphones will receive satellite communications support next year, China Telecom, one of the country's leading telecom giants, said at a conference held in south China's Guangdong Province from November 10 to 13.
The company said that it is collaborating with Chinese phone makers, including Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo, on a new function that supports satellite communications services.
In August, Chinese telecom giant Huawei launched a flagship smartphone that supports incoming and outgoing calls via satellite, making it the world's first phone with a satellite calling feature.
Later the tech giant revealed the satellite communications service was powered by China Telecom's Tiantong-1 communications satellite system.
The satellite system currently consists of three geosynchronous (GEO) satellites of Tiantong-1, launched in 2016, 2020 and 2021, respectively, which can support voice, short message and data services.
China Telecom has launched a smartphone that features satellite communications services on Friday. It can send and receive messages and calls from the satellite anytime and anywhere without switching to a new SIM card or phone number.
Apart from cell phones, China Telecom is developing a built-in satellite communications function on vehicles, aiming for a wider consumer market, the company told CGTN in October.
"In the near future, the built-in satellite function as part of the Internet of Vehicles will be indispensable," said Liu Yue, deputy head of China Telecom Corporation Limited Satellite Communications Branch.