Apple introduced the ability to send and receive text messages via satellite last year, but now it wants to expand these features with 5G support and more.

The post Apple in Space: Exploring the iPhone’s Satellite Connectivity appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple introduced the ability to send and receive text messages via satellite last year, but now it wants to expand these features with 5G support and more.

The post Apple in Space: Exploring the iPhone’s Satellite Connectivity appeared first on TechRepublic.

Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta, a mobile satellite communications company, announced Manny Mora as its new president and CEO, effective immediately.

The company, founded in 2012 with backing from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is ramping up efforts to provide services across the U.S. Department of Defense and allied militaries.

Mora spent nearly 40 years with General Dynamics Mission Systems, leading the Virginia-based company’s Space and Intelligence Systems. In this role he supported the company’s partnerships with DOD, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and others.

“As the defense community modernizes its command-and-control infrastructure, Kymeta is uniquely positioned to deliver mobile SATCOM solutions that perform in the most demanding environments,” said Nicole Piasecki, the executive chair of Kymeta’s board of directors, in a statement.

“Manny Mora brings the operational depth and strategic clarity to scale our impact and strengthen our role as a trusted partner to national security customers,” she added.

Kymeta is riding tailwinds from an aerospace and defense sector being reshaped by advances in software systems, autonomous platforms, satellite communications, and AI.

Kymeta was recently chosen by the U.S. Army as the multi-orbit satellite communications provider for its Next Generation Command and Control pilot. The initiative will use the company’s Osprey u8 terminal technology to provide connectivity for military operators.

“Our breakthrough technology is already transforming how defense and government customers communicate across domains,” Mora said in a statement.

In taking the role, Mora replaces Rick Bergman, a former executive vice president at semiconductor giant AMD, who took the helm in April 2024.

Kymeta makes use of an innovative type of technology called metamaterials to build antennas that can be steered by software, without moving parts. Its hybrid cellular-satellite terminals enable communications in hard-to-reach areas — an application that’s been of particular interest to defense customers.

The company also provides technology for emergency services, maritime operations, wildfire-fighting and other applications.

Kymeta raised $84 million in 2022. Total funding to date is nearly $400 million.