Start-up companies and established telecommunications firms are connecting satellite to off-the-shelf, unmodified cell phones, with text messages and other services accessible anywhere in the world. Apple’s latest iPhone has built-in “SOS” emergency satellite capabilities while companies such as AST Space Mobile, Lynk, Globalstar and SpaceX are building systems for any phone – Android or Apple -- to relay text messages without any special hardware or software.

Putting cell towers on satellites opens up a whole new world of connectivity for first responders and ordinary citizens but will new satellite-cellular systems honor first responder priority for connectivity, especially during a major incident when the terrestrial cellular network is down?

Learn the promise and limitations of satellite-cellular services, how these services will interface with public safety communications, the promise of communicating anywhere without buying a dedicated cell phone, and how quickly these services will come to market and evolve.