The Galaxy S26's satellite communication works on these US carriers

The Samsung Galaxy S26 phones may not have had a huge number of upgrades, but most of what we've come to love about Samsung's flagship phones are still included in the latest devices.

One of those beloved features is satellite communication. This emergency feature landed with the Galaxy S24, and the Galaxy S26 will inherit this feature. It's only available on a couple of US carriers though, so if you're intending to use satellite communications, make sure you're on one of these.

In the US, you'll need the Uncarrier or Big Red

As expected, in order to use satellite text messaging on the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra in the US, you'll need to be with either T-Mobile or Verizon.

On T-Mobile, you'll be able to access SOS and texting capabilities through T-Satellite, which is powered by Starlink by T-Mobile. You'll also get access to mobile data too, giving you strong coverage overall. This also works with Samsung's recent A-series phones. Verizon's service is similar, offering eSOS and text services.

As you'd expect, other carriers are rushing to catch up, and it's reported that Samsung is working with AT&T to offer similar satellite coverage. There was no timeline given for delivering that, however.

Satellite communications on phones are tightly tied to the concept of alleviating emergencies. Communicating via satellite is used in areas with no smartphone signal, and while the uses are fairly limited, they can be used to send text messages to contacts or the emergency services.

Unsurprisingly, such features have become popular with hikers are other adventurers who might find themselves in sticky situations without phone signal to help them out.

For now, it seems that satellite communications are limited only to specific carriers who have worked out the logistics. However, as mentioned, other carriers are constantly working to implement similar functions into their own service.

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It's also spreading across the world, with carriers within Europe and the UK working hard to get the same services up and running.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Display type
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Display dimensions
6.9-inch
Display resolution
3120 x 1440

$1300 at Samsung
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