Huawei's latest mobile phone can call satellite phone? Survey: 10 yuan per minute Consumer complains that it is a bit expensive

"I went to the telecom business hall, said that now the satellite package can't be done, only the telecom app can do 1,000 a year package, it is delivered by express" "Just now I called 10,000 again, said that the package is 399 yuan, and I am waiting for a call back to help me open, this tariff is really a bit messy"... Recently, some bloggers complained that they have obtained Huawei Mate 60 Pro mobile phones, but when they want to experience their latest function "satellite phone", they have encountered some problems, and it is very troublesome to apply for packages, and the tariff is chaotic.

A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned that the "satellite phone" function in Huawei Mate 60 Pro mobile phones can only be opened by Chinese telecom cards. Telecom customer service said that there are currently two tariffs, namely monthly rent + 10 yuan per minute satellite phone fee, or 1,000 yuan per year, including 750 minutes of calls and other content.

Experts said that the package fee is higher, if you do not order the package in advance, you can not use, which will limit the number of satellite communication users, and users buy Mate60Pro mobile phones, most people's satellite call function is still just a decoration, did not order the relevant package, can not be used.

Huawei's latest Mate 60 Pro mobile phone is equipped with the "satellite communication" function

Tariff confusion leads to controversy

On August 29, Huawei's terminal official blog announced that the cumulative shipment of Huawei Mate series mobile phones reached 100 million units. To this end, Huawei launched the "HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro Pioneer Program" to allow some consumers to experience this latest Mate mobile phone in advance, and the 12+512GB version costs 6999 yuan.

Subsequently, many users posted photos of the actual mobile phone they got and some new functions of the mobile phone.

Among them, the new function "satellite communication" has attracted a lot of attention. On the outer box of the first Huawei Mate 60 Pro mobile phones, it is clearly written that the device is a "satellite mobile terminal", not a traditional "digital mobile phone set".

The Beiqing News reporter saw that in the "Settings" column of the Mate 60 Pro series mobile phone, there is a "satellite network" item, after opening, you can choose to open the "Tiantong satellite communication" function, saying that "through the Tiantong satellite network to receive and receive calls and send and receive text messages, only support telecom cards or satellite special cards." After enabling this function, during the trial, you also need to turn on the function of "Enable Tiantong Satellite Communication", which says that in the outdoor unobstructed area covered by WLAN and mobile data network, support the continued use of basic functions such as telephone and SMS under the Tiantong satellite network.

However, some consumers said that the current experience and tariffs are very chaotic, "went to the telecom business hall, said that now the satellite package can not be done, only the telecom App can do 1,000 pieces of a year package, is delivered home" "Just called 10,000, said that the package is 399 yuan, is waiting for a call back to help me open, this tariff is really a bit messy", on August 31, Huawei terminal BG CTO Bruce Lee said on his Weibo: "At present, only telecom cards can support Tiantong satellite call function, You can apply for activation on the China Telecom App by yourself. He also detailed the activation method with pictures.

The Beiqing News reporter saw that the screenshot interface shows that the "Tiandi Wing Card" business is priced at 200 yuan / month, supporting 200 minutes of domestic calls, exceeding 1.6 yuan / minute, and the main and called are charged in both directions. This figure does not match what the telecom customer service staff introduced.

At present, the Beiqing News reporter saw that Bruce Lee's Weibo has been deleted.

Telecom Customer Service:

Two forms of tariff Basic dial and answer 10 yuan / minute

Telecom customer service told the Beiqing News reporter that there are currently two tariff methods, one is monthly rent + billing according to the number of minutes / usage, and the other is a monthly package. The monthly rent form is 10 yuan per month, the domestic call and receiving fee is 10 yuan / minute, and the SMS fee is unknown. If the package is yearly, the cost is 1000 yuan per year, including 750 minutes of call, 5 domestic SMS, after which the call is 1.6 yuan / minute, SMS sending is 0.4 yuan / message, and receiving is free.

In this regard, many consumers said that if they are not annual users, the fee of 10 yuan / minute to use this function, and 1,000 yuan per year for annual users, is really a bit expensive.

"How to choose is based on personal use, if you use it frequently, it is recommended to choose a monthly plan." Customer service also prompts that when using, turn on the "Tiantong satellite" function switch, according to the page instructions, the mobile phone needs to face the direction of Yunnan, and there is no obstruction, after prompting to enter the satellite network, you can call the satellite phone and send satellite SMS.

When using Tiantong satellite communication, the mobile network must be turned off

Behind it is supported by the mainland "Tiantong system"

So how does the feature work? According to the relevant interface of Huawei mobile phones, when using, users need to "adjust the left and right tilt angle and front and rear pitch angle of the mobile phone according to the prompts of the mobile phone interface 180° to the south, and after the connection is successful, maintain the posture and try not to change significantly." "In addition, connecting to the Tiantong satellite network, because the satellite is far away, the mobile phone needs a lot of transmission power, and the higher the power, the greater the power consumption."

After sending SMS, if you check "Carry Location", then the default is the location information when the satellite connection is successful, each SMS is 70 words, after which it will be automatically converted into multiple SMS sending, and multiple SMS will be charged. When "Carry Location" is checked, multiple SMS messages are used by default because of the latitude and longitude information and map links.

In addition, because Tiantong satellites are long distances and limited bandwidth, calls and SMS services take a long time, and users need to wait patiently. Moreover, because the voice quality is related to the satellite signal strength, the Tiantong satellite call will be delayed from time to time because of the long distance and limited bandwidth, and the voice quality of the call will be worse than that of the mobile network.

After Tiantong satellite communication is enabled, the WLAN, mobile data, location information, Huawei sharing, personal hotspot, wireless screen projection, and airplane mode switches will be turned off, and cannot be manually turned on during use. It will automatically resume after exiting, and mobile data and Wi-Fi networks are not supported during the process.

What is Tiantong Satellite Communication? According to reports, as early as 2020, the first satellite mobile communication system independently built by the mainland, the Tiantong system, officially provided services to the whole society. The satellite used in the Tiantong system is the "Tiantong-1" satellite launched in 2016, which is also the first mobile communication satellite in mainland China. The satellites, chips and terminals in the Tiantong system are all developed and produced by China, which frees mainland users from their long-term dependence on foreign satellite mobile communication services and ensures the communication security of users.

At present, the Tiantong satellite mobile communication system has achieved comprehensive coverage of mainland territory and territorial waters, and can be widely used in marine fisheries, emergency rescue and other scenarios. In the service area, users can use voice, SMS, data communication and location services.

In the process of fighting many major natural disasters before, the Tiantong system has undertaken the task of emergency communication support. In the future, the system also plans to provide a wider range of services worldwide. Sui Jing, deputy director of the Information and Communications Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that it is necessary to further strengthen the infrastructure construction of the Tiantong system, increase the promotion of the international business of Tiantong, create high-quality services, enter the international market, and serve the construction of the "Belt and Road".

In addition to handheld phones, there are also a variety of terminal types such as vehicle terminals and Tiantong cats, and users can also directly connect to terminals and realize satellite communication through their mobile phone applications. At present, the system is exclusively operated by China Telecom, with the number segment 1740, and users can apply for it online or in some offline business halls.

At that time, Lv Junli, general manager of the satellite communication branch of China Telecom Co., Ltd., said that after three years of trial commercial use in March 2018, we have nearly 30,000 users. After the official commercial use, it can be aimed at the majority of users, and the current basic annual package fee is 1,000 yuan a year, including 750 minutes of call fee.

Tiantong satellite communication has different functions from Beidou satellite messaging

Some users said that Mate 50 also had the "Beidou satellite message" function before, so are these two functions the same? According to the Beiqing News reporter, the Mate 60 Pro's Tiantong communication is still different from the Mate 50's satellite phone. At that time, "Mate 50 is the world's first mass smartphone that supports Beidou satellite messages", in fact, Mate50 has Beidou short message and positioning functions, and does not have the function of satellite call. Only text messages can be sent, but not received; Before sending a text message, the mobile phone needs to follow the prompts of the APP to align with the Beidou satellite, and only if it is aimed at a Beidou satellite, it can be sent normally. Beidou Satellite will forward the received SMS to the operator's satellite ground station, and then send it to the recipient through the operator's network. Regardless of whether the recipient uses Huawei's mobile phone or APP, it can be received normally.

At that time, the charging standard of Mate 50's Beidou short message was to use this function through the Changlian APP, and there was no need to apply for a special Beidou communication card; During the trial period, a free quota of 30 pieces per month is provided, which exceeds the package that can be purchased; According to the information on the function page, if you open the Beidou satellite service number for the first time and complete the registration, you can experience 30 free quotas every month, and clear them at 24 o'clock on the last day of the month and recharge new quotas.

The Mate 60 Pro satellite phone released this time has such characteristics: relying on the Tiantong-1 satellite system, this function can achieve global communication coverage and provide users with communication services without blind spots. Compared with traditional communication methods, the satellite phone function is less affected by the signal fluctuation of the terrestrial network, and the communication quality is more stable and reliable. Since satellite phones communicate directly with satellites and do not pass through the ground network, they can effectively protect the privacy of users' calls. In the event of an emergency, the satellite phone function enables fast and efficient communication and provides users with critical emergency communication support.

Analysis: Most people's satellite call function is still just a decoration

Subsequent integration packages can be pushed

Fu Liang, an independent telecom analyst, said that from the information transmitted on the Internet, the communication service is provided by the "China Telecom Tiantong satellite", and the satellite communication chip is customized for Huawei by the research institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. Huawei overcomes the problem of internal antennas, and the Mate 60 Pro no longer contains an obvious external antenna like satellite phones, which allows satellite communication to be implanted in ordinary mobile phones, significantly shortening the "distance" between satellites and mobile phones. Mobile phones can make calls and send messages via satellite (like in the 2G era), but it is difficult to support mobile phone data services in the near future, let alone high-speed Internet access like 4G and 5G. 5G satellite calls are still just a complementary function in a special environment.

Fu Liang said that Mate60Pro needs to cooperate with the package to realize the satellite phone function. According to China Telecom's previous business model, it is necessary to apply for a special mobile phone number, the tariff is much higher than that of ordinary telephone, and there is an obvious package threshold (such as signing cycle, package price, unit tariff, etc.). Without ordering a package in advance, it cannot be used, which will limit the number of satellite communication users, and users buy Mate 60 Pro mobile phones, most people's satellite call function is still just a decoration, do not order related packages, can not be used.

"Huawei needs to work with Telecom to promote the Mate 60 Pro's exclusive "satellite call + 5G" convergence package, on the basis of ensuring the higher monthly rent of the 5G package, 0 yuan monthly rent to open satellite communication function, make calls, send messages, all billed by the minute or article. This lowers the threshold for users, and for telecommunications, every user who has a Mate60Pro mobile phone uses the satellite call function, which is also a lot of income. ”

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Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Wen Jing

Editor/Fan Hongwei