Even before the start of the MWC fair, the joint effort of Bullitt Group, Motorola and Mediatek got a big premiere. The world’s first Android smartphone that enables two-way text satellite communication. Depending on the region, it will be offered either as the Motorola Defy 2 or as the CAT S75. Under the banner of Motorola, an additional “puck” came to the market, which will make communication with satellites available for all smartphones in the world. Just connect your existing smartphone to this accessory via Bluetooth.
However, what makes Mediatek’s solution unique is the communication of the new IoT-NTN chipset MT6825 with geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites. They are located at an altitude of 35,800 km above the equator. All previous approaches by mobile manufacturers use satellites located in low Earth orbit, so-called LEO. Connectivity is compatible with 3GPP standards.
The first two-way Android satellite
Let’s start with the smartphone that we will primarily meet on the shelves of European stores – CAT S75. Motorola, on the other hand, is intended mainly for the USA, Canada and Latin America. It is a robust phone with dimensions of 171 x 80 x 11.9 mm and a weight of 268 grams. The novelty supports increased IP68 and IP69K resistance, it can withstand dust and dirt, water (up to 5 meters below the surface for 35 minutes) and falls. And up to 1.8 meters per steel beam.
The MIL-STD810H specification adds, for example, 24-hour resistance to temperature fluctuations in the range of -30 – +75°C. The body of the phone is coated with silver ions to help with easier cleaning and sanitization. You can wash the phone in soapy water and then wipe it with a disinfectant wipe. Neither will do him any harm.
The 6.58″ display uses Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. There is an 8MP selfie camera (F2.0) on the front of the phone, and three cameras on the back also support taking pictures and filming underwater. Specifically, we are talking about a 50 Mpx main sensor (F1.8), an 8 Mpx wide-angle lens (F2.2) and a two-megapixel macro with an aperture of 2.4.
The phone’s performance is provided by the Mediatek Dimensity 930 chipset, 6GB of RAM is followed by 128GB of storage expandable with microSD cards. The phone runs Android 12 from the start, but the manufacturer promises up to Android 14 for the phone. This includes up to five years of security updates. Three years will be at least quarterly, the next two years will be followed by only critical updates.
Introducing the CAT S75:
Satellite connectivity (NTN) is built into the modem from Mediatek, and of course it will not be free. Monthly fees will start at EUR 5 (CZK 120) per month, but we do not yet know the full price terms. A 12-month trial period for SOS assistance via satellites will be active for all subscribers, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Messages sent via satellite will be delivered as SMS. And there is no charge for their delivery. If you want to reply to a message sent from the satellite, you will need to install the Bullitt Satellite Messenger app on both Android and iOS.
The CAT S75 will start in Europe at EUR 599 (approx. CZK 14,200). You get a three-month trial version of the “Bullitt Satellite Messenger Essentials” plan, which allows you to send up to 30 satellite messages per month directly to your phone. The phone should go on sale in the second quarter.
Satellites for everyone
Until now, satellite connectivity was tied to a specific phone brand and model. Thanks to the accessories Motorola Defy Satellite Link however, this is no longer the case. It is a kind of puck, i.e. an additional accessory that you connect to your existing smartphone via Bluetooth. The only requirements include the operating system iOS 14 and later, or Android 10 and later.
The Motorola Defy Satellite Link accessory was created in collaboration with Mediatek, Motorola, Lenovo and the Bullitt Group. It’s a rugged satellite hotspot that you plug into your existing Android
The robust accessory also meets IP68 and MIL-STD810H resistance standards, and a 600mAh battery is ready inside its guts. It is actually a portable satellite hotspot that has a strap, a charging connector, status LEDs and several buttons on its body. One is for powering on, the second for pairing and the third for sending an emergency message. The charging connector is hidden behind a rubber cap.
The satellite communication options themselves will be exactly the same as for the aforementioned Cat S75. Satellite Link will go on sale in April for €119 (CZK 2,800). However, a bundle will also be available in which you will also get an annual subscription to 12 bidirectional satellite messages per month. The price of this set will be EUR 169, i.e. roughly four thousand crowns.
