Huawei phone with satellite link helps rescue user after Tibet quake

A Huawei user was evacuated to a safe area after reaching rescuers via satellite connection from a Huawei Mate X5 during a disaster that struck Tibet and Nepal, killing hundreds of people. The user shared the experience on the social media account of Richard Yu, Huawei's chief executive, saying the phone's satellite feature allowed contact with helicopter crews where traditional mobile networks had failed. Satellite connectivity on consumer smartphones has become an alternative channel for communication and location sharing during natural disasters, when ground-based base stations are knocked out or coverage is unavailable in remote areas. The feature lets users send messages and share coordinates with rescue teams when conventional networks are down. Apple has offered emergency SOS, location sharing and messaging via satellite since the iPhone 14, while Google supports the feature on the Pixel 9 series under Satellite SOS. Samsung has expanded satellite support with the Galaxy S26 series. Huawei, which introduced satellite short-message and navigation services on China's Baidu network with the Mate 50 series in 2022, was among the first manufacturers to bring satellite-connected consumer smartphones to the market. No further details on the evacuation or the user's identity were immediately available.