Stranded drivers could soon call for help even with no mobile signal

Toyota has tested technology that sends spoken messages through satellites when ordinary mobile coverage disappears, potentially allowing motorists to seek help from remote roads and other blackspots

Drivers stranded miles from the nearest mobile signal could soon be able to send a spoken message for help directly through space after Toyota successfully tested new satellite technology.

The demonstration used a Toyota fitted with a Deutsche Telekom IoT SIM to send the words “testing, testing, one, two, freeway” entirely through Iridium’s low-Earth orbit satellite network, without relying on a conventional mobile mast.

While the technology does not yet provide an ordinary live phone call, it can compress a short voice recording into a very small amount of data and send it over the satellite link.

Once launched, it could let stranded motorists send a voice message for help from places with no mobile signal, including to emergency services.

Iridium and Deutsche Telekom IoT have now completed the technical integration and roaming agreement needed for compatible devices to move between ordinary mobile networks and satellites as coverage changes, with commercial availability planned for later in the year.

Matt Desch, chief executive of Iridium, said: “The voice message sent over our network from a Toyota vehicle illustrates how Iridium NTN Direct will enhance consumer and commercial applications for people and assets operating outside traditional coverage areas.”

He added: “This demonstration is a glimpse into the future of truly global, standards-based connectivity.”

READ MORE: AI is rewriting Europe’s networks from the inside out — and the continent isn’t ready. Reporting from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Marco Ryan finds an industry that has already begun redesigning its networks for the demands of artificial intelligence — raising urgent questions about whether Europe’s fragmented telecoms market and regulatory framework can keep pace. 

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