Lifesaver or paywall disaster? Why the Apple Watch Ultra 3 could make Garmin look old in regard to satellite communication
The use of satellite connectivity for communication is a relatively new development for the typical end customer. Starlink has made it relatively inexpensive and easy to establish adequate internet connectivity, even in areas without sufficient mobile phone coverage. In this article, however, the focus is not on general internet connectivity via satellite per se, but rather on its role in emergency situations. In the past, such communication options often required relatively expensive satellite phones, which were often used by organisations operating in mountainous areas, for example. As a rule, such systems are not used for extensive telephone calls, but rather to transmit the coordinates of an expedition. Another possibility is the transmission of weather data to ships in international waters and the alerting of rescue services in emergencies.
Apple offers the option of communicating via satellite on its newer iPhones, allowing users to inform rescuers of their location. The company has also extended the free period for this feature. At the time, we noted that Apple may have made a strategically clever move from a marketing perspective, as the company continues to advertise, with some powerful imagery, the stories of people who have been saved by the emergency function (albeit not necessarily via satellite communication). Hence, putting this feature behind a paywall may prove problematic from an ethical standpoint. The perhaps obvious idea of charging a (high) one-time fee for satellite communication might also be a difficult PR sell.
At this point, interested readers might be wondering whether we are simply overstating the topic, and the question is certainly justified. Of course, anyone who only needs their smartwatch for everyday life, such as while running in the park or as a semi-smartphone replacement, will rarely need satellite communication. But sometimes help is also needed when you least expect it. For example, a broken foot on a technically easy but somewhat remote route in a national park is enough, which can be fatal if the option of alerting rescuers is lacking. In 2022, Garmin published a comprehensive analysis of over inReach notifications, providing insight into the distribution of such emergency calls.
Satellite communication is now possible not only with smartphones, but also with smartwatches; the new Garmin Fenix 8 Pro models offer such a function. However, the Fenix 8 Pro systems could be outclassed in this regard by the Apple Watch Ultra 3 if two assumptions prove correct. Firstly, if the Watch Ultra 3 offers satellite communication capabilities, which is quite likely. Secondly, if Apple offers satellite communication free of charge, at least in an emergency. The Garmin Fenix 8 Pro requires, as Garmin explicitly confirmed to us, an inReach subscription for LTE and satellite communication. If there is no mobile connection and no inReach subscription, there is simply no way to call for help. In the worst case, the choice of wearable and the lack of an inReach subscription could be a matter of life and death. The inReach subscription costs around $15 per month.
Apple could, of course, exploit this situation from a marketing perspective, but we believe the negative PR that Garmin may face from a possibly avoidable fatality is potentially significantly more problematic, especially since Garmin's introduction of a paywall has caused controversy in the community, to say the least. At this point, however, we should point out that Garmin at indicates in a footnote on the Fenix 8 Pro product page that an active inReach subscription is required. Furthermore, Apple is simply a much larger company than Garmin, so any financial losses that result from the provision of free satellite communication is probably balanced out by the potential benefits for brand image, which itself is a driving force of sales. It should also be noted that inReach is likely intended not only to alert emergency services, but also to partially coordinate rescue operations.
