A traveler survived a powerful landslide in Nepal on August 26 thanks to the satellite connectivity feature on his Huawei Mate X5 smartphone. He described the experience in a comment under a Weibo post by Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong), head of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, Huaweicentral reports.
Mobile networks and internet access were down in the disaster area, so the man turned on his phone’s satellite communication and text messaging features. It connected him to the outside world: he reached a helicopter that evacuated him to safety in time. The comment suggests the man owns a Huawei Mate X5 Collector’s Edition.
“I, personally, experienced the August 26 Nepal flood and mudslide disaster. I am especially grateful for the satellite communication and SMS feature on my Huawei phone. I only realized after the disaster that satellite communication could save lives,” the user wrote.
Huawei introduced satellite connectivity in mass-market smartphones in 2022, when the Mate 50 series gained support for China’s BeiDou navigation system. Since then, the company has expanded the technology from text messaging to two-way voice calls and image transmission. Other satellite services have also been growing: Starlink, the satellite internet provider, ranked third among major US internet providers in a recent customer satisfaction survey.
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Indian operator BSNL, together with UK-based Inmarsat, has also released a $1,400 satellite phone for regions without mobile coverage. Huawei’s next flagship, the Mate 90 series, is expected soon, though it remains unclear what changes it will bring to satellite connectivity.
