Bullitt Group has announced that it will make its two-way satellite messaging service, Bullitt Satellite Connect, commercially available sometime in the first quarter of 2023. Furthermore, the company has also announced a partnership with Motorola, sharing that the next Defy smartphone will be the first Android handset available with its two-way satellite messaging service.

The service wasn't built overnight, with the company stating it took two years to bring it to fruition, with partnerships with companies like MediaTek, FocusPoint International and Skylo. For the most part, the service will rely on monthly service plans that will offer a set number of messages per tier with emergency communication services set to be provided for free for the first year. Bullitt Satellite Connect will allow communication through SMS text message via Bullitt Satellite Messenger to any normal handset.

Since Bullitt has stated that its service will launch sometime in Q1 of 2023, there's a pretty good chance that Motorola will also launch a new Defy handset during this time as well. The Defy was last launched in 2021 and from appearance looks like any ordinary smartphone from Motorola. What makes this handset unique is its ability to take abuse from the elements, along with some drops and bumps that might occur throughout the day. It can withstand drops up to 1.8 meters, and can be submerged in water up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.

Furthermore, it can withstand extreme temperatures like high heat and sub-zero cold. In addition to its durability, it also features a 5,000mAh battery that can last up to two days, a 48MP camera, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that provides plenty of power for day to day use. Although the successor might not be the most powerful handset on the market, it will definitely have at least one noteworthy feature that could be highly appealing to those that need an affordable satellite messaging solution.

Satellite communication will perhaps become the next big thing in mobile communication over the coming year. For now, Apple's iPhone 14 series offers satellite communication, and it is rumored that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S23 series could offer it as well. Qualcomm also recently announced that smartphone's featuring its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will have access to Snapdragon Satellite, a satellite-based two-way communication system arriving to handsets later this year.

Source: Bullitt Group