May 27 update: this post, first published on May 24, was updated with further details of what the new satellite features are likely to be.

When Apple releases its next iPhones, almost certainly in September, a new modem is likely to be on board which could transform the satellite capabilities of the smartphones.

The three phones expected, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and Apple’s first folding phone, perhaps called the iPhone Ultra, a rumored to contain a new Apple-branded modem, the Apple C2.

If the mention of a modem is enough for your eyes to glaze over, hold on, it is interesting, honest.

Apple's Custom C2 Modem To Replace Qualcomm

“In addition to providing 5G cellular connectivity (replacing Qualcomm modems), C2 will also support 5G over satellite,” 9to5Mac reported.”Specifically, C2 is said to offer 5G NR-NTN. This ‘New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks’ technology integrates satellite connectivity with 5G cellular.”

Is 5G NR-NTN Satellite Technology A Game-Changer?

If correct, this would mean Apple’s full satellite services would finally catch up with the features offered by Starlink to carriers such as T-Mobile, which one analyst described as a “game-changer.”

When T-Mobile launched its service last year, podcaster Mario Nawfal said on X , “Game-changer: Apple quietly adds Starlink to iPhones…giving users an alternative to their Globalstar service for off-grid communication. The key difference? No more pointing your phone at the sky - Starlink works right from your pocket.”

To be clear, the addition of this service did not install Starlink on iPhones, it meant that the carrier, T-Mobile, enabled the capability to access Starlink. It didn’t work for iPhones on other networks, unless they signed up to the T-Satellite contract. This is something which was available for a separate monthly fee to users whose phones were on other carriers.

This system would mean that all users with the right iPhone hardware would see the benefits, almost certainly at no cost, and whichever carrier they used.

Currently, it’s when another service, such as roadside assistance via satellite, is employed that the user bears extra costs.

That said, Apple has not guaranteed that access to satellites will be available free forever — it’s initially offered for two years from the purchase of the handset, though Apple has extended this period for the first phones that had satellite features, such as the iPhone 14 series.

Seamless, Automatic Off-Grid Connectivity

The new modem could mean that users will have more comprehensive access to satellites, though in Apple’s case to Globalstar rather than Starlink.

“One benefit of 5G NR-NTN is that users may not need to manually point their iPhone at a satellite anymore,” 9to5Mac went on, adding, “The new technology could enable iPhone 18 Pro to automatically fall back to a satellite connection when cell coverage is poor. If iPhone 18 Pro makes satellite connectivity that easy and seamless, it could turn what’s currently a niche feature into an everyday benefit.”

Additionally, that would change the nature of the service: mostly it’s used for emergency situations, so most people rarely take advantage of the capabilities, but switching this so that users might not even notice they’re connected to a satellite instead of a terrestrial mast could be transformational.

This chimes with what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported back in November 2025, when he spoke of satellite features with “natural usage” implications.

“One of the biggest limitations of Apple’s current system is the need for an unobstructed view of the sky. The company aims to let users stay connected while their iPhone is in a pocket, car or even indoors — eliminating the need to physically point the device toward the sky,” Gurman said.

Gurman also talked about satellite-powered maps, so Apple Maps could work even if you’re out of wi-fi or cellular coverage, and a satellite framework which would allow developers to build satellite connections into their own apps.

The word “game-changer” can be over-used, but effortless satellite connectivity becoming second-nature on the iPhone, whichever carrier you’re with, justifies the term, I’d say.