for their experiment, in May 2022, to test out BlueWalker 3 services in Texas and Hawaii. Lynk (https : //lynk. world) and Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) are working toward similar goals of connecting smartphones with satellite communication. SES had about 50 Geostationary Equatorial Orbit (GEO) and 20 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites in 2022. Figure 16.2 shows the 003 MEO satellite system. Introduction to satellite communications 131°W 125°W 139°W 105°W 101°W 135°W 129° W Figure 16.2 - Architecture of MEO satellite system Lynk started working on this idea after they saw the need to connect front-line health workers in Africa during the Ebola outbreak. They started working on the universal mobile broadband initiative in 2014. They realized that only 25% of the earth's landmass had cell coverage. Besides, oceans had no cell tower coverage. The use of dedicated satellite phones, which have bulky antennas and a large power supply but no LTE or 5G coverage, has proved that consumer-grade satellite communication is feasible. However, the next landmark is the convergence of smartphones and satellite phones. See Figure 16.3. Today Future Mobile Phone SAT Phone Mobile Phone Figure 16.3 - Convergence of smartphones and satellite phones On December 1, 2022, Apple iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite was put to use, helping to rescue a person stranded in snow in Alaska. The Apple emergency response center alerted the proper local authorities, the Alaska State Troopers, in a timely fashion, when the person in a snowmobile was lost in an isolated area. The "accuracy and the completeness" of the satellite-driven alert from the iPhone was impressive and shows that the convergence of 5G and satellite communication is already working. This service was launched by Apple on November 15, 2022. This is clear evidence that we are ready to put NTN systems to work with smartphones and make such services available to consumers (see https://9to5mac.com/2022/12/02/use-of-emergency-sos/for more - details). 5G and Satellite Communi