You no longer need a phone in your hand to reach a satellite — now you can just talk to it from the dashboard. Viasat together with BMW Group demonstrated a satellite voice call built directly into the BMW iX3's electronic platform. The test took place on July 16, 2026, at the 5G Automotive Association event in Munich — and this looks like just the beginning.
The call was placed and controlled through the car's own interface. No separate handset, no bolt-on module — everything lived inside the vehicle. Voice was carried over the NB-IoT protocol, Viasat's L-band satellite network, a Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 modem, and the Fraunhofer IIS NESC AI voice codec. The whole setup leaned on an earlier eSIM technology from Cubic³ — without it, the car simply couldn't have authenticated on the network.
Why does this matter? The technology is built for areas where mobile coverage is patchy or missing entirely. Down the road, the satellite channel could handle emergency calls, messaging, fleet management, and over-the-air software updates — exactly where ordinary cell networks give up.
Previously, Tarantas News covered the American version of the new BMW iX3. Timelines for rolling satellite connectivity into production cars, and which markets will get it, haven't been announced yet.
