Apple confirmed in a press release that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will be able to make emergency calls via satellite in late November, so help can be sought in areas without cellular coverage as long as the skies are clear. Currently, the service will only be available in the US and Canada, but it is not yet known whether users in other countries will also be able to make emergency calls.

The service will be available for free for the next two years, after which an as yet undisclosed fee will be charged. According to Apple, the iPhone uses 14 satellite bands in the L and S bands for communication. When an emergency call is made, it is sent to one of the 24 Globalstar satellites in low orbit at a speed of approximately 26,000 kilometers per hour.

The satellite then transmits the message to one of Earth’s worldwide base stations. This base station then sends your call to an emergency call center that can send help. In addition to emergency calls, iPhone 14 also offers the ability to share your location with friends via satellite signal.

Apple said it has invested $450 million to build the infrastructure needed for the feature, with most of the investment going directly to Globalstar. Among other things, this budget was used to develop new high-performance antennas installed on all Globalstar base stations to improve the reliability and coverage of the satellite network. For this purpose, new satellites will be launched soon.