Rugged Cat S75 and Motorola Defy 2: Android smartphones with two-way satellite connectivity

Rugged smartphones designed for mission-critical applications (such as first responders and first responders), business-critical applications (transportation, logistics, etc.), and outdoor enthusiasts (hiking, skiing, etc.) are widely available. but it’s missing an important element.Or Wi-Fi connectivity is available, and even in developed countries there are large areas and no means of communication. satellite phoneOf course, these can be expensive, bulky, and lack smartphone functionality.

fresh from the announcement Brit Satellite Connect (BSC) service and the Brit Satellite Messenger (BSM) OTT app at CES 2023, the British company Brit Group is at Mobile World Congress, courtesy of BSC and BSM, its flagship 5G handset with added satellite capabilities. Introducing the fully rugged Cat S75 smartphone. (MWC). In the United States and Latin America, the phone, designed and manufactured by virtually the same Britt, will be marketed as the Motorola Defy 2.

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At 6.6 inches, the Cat S75 looks more like a regular smartphone than most rugged or satellite handsets. That’s because Bullitt is working with his chipset partner, MediaTek, to shrink satellite RF components to a manageable size and tweak power consumption to extract maximum battery power. life.

However, the S75 can handle all kinds of abuse, so there’s no compromise on rugged functionality. It can withstand a 1.8m drop onto steel, immersion in water up to 5m depth for 35+ minutes, exposure to high pressure water jets, dust, dirt and sand (IP68/IP69K). It has also been tested under vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes (MIL-STD-810H) and has an antimicrobial exterior that can be cleaned and disinfected.

Clearly, the S75 is the phone you can take almost anywhere. And with built-in support for Brit Satellite Connect, you can rest easy with two-way messaging and location tracking, as well as SOS service. No cellular connection nor his Wi-Fi connection.

Key features of the Cat S75 include:

size	171×80×11.9mm
weight	268g
Unevenness	1.8m drop on steel • IP68/IP69K • MIL-STD-810H • Corning Gorilla Glass Victus • Hygeine+ antimicrobial technology
screen	6.6 inch FHD+ (1080 x 2408, 20:9, 400ppi), 120Hz refresh.Touch screen that can be used with wet/gloved fingers
OS	Android 12 (upgrade to 13 & 14), Android Enterprise Recommended (5 year security patch cover)
chipset	MediaTek Dimensity 930
RAM	6GB
depository	128GB
Micro SD card slot	yes
rear camera	50MP f/1.8 Wide, 8MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide & Depth, 2MP f/2.4 Macro
front camera	8MP f/2.0
network	2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
SIM slot	Nano SIM + Satellite SIM, or SIM + MicroSD
bluetooth	5.1
Wifi	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
satellite connection	Bullitt Satellite Connect (two-way messaging, location tracking, SOS)
positioning	GPS (L1 + L5 dual frequency), AGPS, LTEPP, SUPL, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou
NFC	yes
port	USB-C
3.5mm audio jack	no
button	Power, Volume Up/Down, Programmable Keys, SOS Key
biometric security	Fingerprint sensor (rear)
battery capacity	5000mAh
battery charging	15W fast charging, Qi wireless charging
price	€599 / £549
availability	27 February 2023 (Europe & UK)

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The Cat S75 is based on MediaTek’s mid-range octa-core Dimension 930 Chipset with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage, expandable with MicroSD card. Dimensity 930’s CPU consists of 2 Arm Cortex A78 cores and 6 Cortex A55 cores, while the GPU is IMG BXM-8-256Another important element of MediaTek is the 3GPP NTN– Standard modems and associated antennas that enable satellite connections.

How does Bullitt Satellite Connect work and how much does it cost?

Bullitt Satellite Connect utilizes GEO (geostationary) satellites operated by Inmarsat and echo starmanaged by Bullitt’s satellite network service partners SkyroA text message (up to 140 characters) with location information from a BSC compatible phone such as the Cat S75 travels approximately 22,300 miles to the nearest GEO satellite, is relayed to a Skylo ground station, and from there travels over cellular or Wi. increase. -Fi internet connection to recipient. You can use a regular iOS (14+) or Android (10+) smartphone with the Bullitt Satellite Messenger (BSM) app installed. This will prompt you to download when you receive your first satellite. Message as SMS. Responses via BSM take the opposite route (Wi-Fi or cellular to ground station to satellite to satellite phone).

Messaging plans start at £4.99 per month for up to 30 satellite messages per month and rise to £9.99 per month for up to 125 messages per month to £29.99 per month for up to 400 messages per month. You can also pay £59.99 per year for up to 250 messages per year.

BSC also provides SOS assistance. focuspoint internationalmanages a 24/7 monitoring response center that processes emergency messages and assistance requests and escalates to emergency services when necessary. All subscriptions include unlimited SOS messages and a 12-month free trial. The Cat S75 handset also has a physical SOS button, but it lacks Apple-style automatic emergency services alerts.

Brit Satellite Connect will go live in Europe and North America on February 27th, and will roll out in Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Latin America in mid-2023, and the rest of the world by the end of the year.

Other Cat S75 Features

The Cat S75’s camera system can’t compare to the photo and video capabilities of premium handsets such as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series, but it does have three rear-facing cameras: 50MP Wide, 8MP Ultra Wide/Depth, and 2MP Macro, as well as an 8MP selfie shooter. . The S75 is also waterproof, so you can take stills and videos underwater.

The Cat S75 has a 5000mAh battery that, according to Bullitt, will power the phone for “two full days.” Supports both wired (15W) and wireless (Qi) charging.

Like many manufacturers these days, Bullitt highlights its commitment to sustainability, citing 100% plastic-free packaging and the use of recycled materials in the Cat S75. Rugged phones tend to last longer, and Android’s upgrades to versions 13 and 14 and support for five years of security patches help further this.

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The Cat S75 is currently available for pre-order at €599 in Europe and £549 in the UK. It also comes with a free 3-month introductory Essential plan (up to 30 satellite messages per month). The Motorola Defy 2 — essentially the same phone with some changes to the RF configuration and software — offers service in North America and Latin America.

“Over the past decade, we have set the standard for rugged phones, both in terms of reliability and innovation.With the Cat S75, we are proud to say that we are raising the bar again. The S75 has it all, combined with ultra-fast 5G and direct satellite connectivity, it offers the class-leading rugged credential you’ve come to expect from a Cat phone. It offers a whole new level of resilience to mobile communications that cannot be replicated by smartphones. He said:

Are satellite phones going mainstream?

Apple’s satellite-based Emergency SOS Location tracking service is now available on iPhone 14 models in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK. snapdragon satellite The two-way messaging solution at CES in January is expected to be available for premium Android phones in the second half of 2023.

Both Apple and Qualcomm services use Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations — global star and iridium Each, not the GEO satellites managed by Skylo. LEO and GEO have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to messaging. LEO satellites fly lower than GEO satellites (99–1,200 miles vs. over 22,000 miles) but fly faster (17,000 mph vs. 7,000 mph), resulting in lower latency but faster signal acquisition from the ground. It gets tricky. GEO satellites cannot cover the polar regions, but they are stationary and easy to locate.

Bullitt Group faces stiff competition in the nascent smartphone satellite services market. However, there is a significant and disruptive first-mover advantage in the Android space that may well outweigh that weight, at least for some time. Expect more to be said about satellite connectivity in smartphones in 2023 and beyond.