6G is coming. It is the first mobile standard being designed with satellites in the network from day one. I was at an industry event last week, and there are some exciting possibilities ahead.
Around 2030, it reaches your wrist. From then on, every connected watch talks to satellites on an ordinary tariff, not a niche emergency subscription Garmin sold you on the side. Thousands of low Earth orbit satellites from Starlink, AST SpaceMobile and others will cover anywhere you can see sky, carrying real data, not just an SOS.
Today a satellite watch is an emergency device. Fenix 8 Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Pixel Watch 4 can all send an SOS and a few short texts, provided you stop, find clear sky and hold your wrist up until the message goes. None of them keeps a long run, ride, or hikes connected. Garmin charges from £7.99 a month for that safety net, on top of a watch that starts at £1,029.99.
The timeline
| When | What changes |
|---|---|
| Now | O2 Satellite texts over Starlink for £3 a month in the UK. In the US, T-Mobile customers already use WhatsApp, AllTrails and weather apps over satellite. |
| End of 2026 | AST SpaceMobile switches on its first intermittent broadband from space in the UK, US, Canada and Japan, through Vodafone, AT&T, Verizon and others. |
| Mid-2027 | SpaceX starts launching its next-generation phone satellites on Starship, with service about six months later. |
| Early 2029 | The first 6G specifications are finished. |
| Around 2030 | The first 6G networks go live, with watches following phones. |
| October 2032 | Half of SpaceX’s 15,000 phone satellites must be in orbit and working, under the FCC’s licence. |
| October 2035 | The whole constellation must be complete. |
Satellite becomes part of the network.
Every mobile generation so far has treated satellite as a separate service, with its own radio software, network, and bill. 6G designs the two together, so a watch on a normal plan will move from a mast to a satellite the way a phone moves between masts today. The body that writes the standard fixed the timetable in June: specifications in early 2029 and networks around 2030.
That changes what a satellite watch is. Today the satellite link on a Fenix 8 Pro or Pixel Watch 4 is a second service bolted on beside the cellular one. On a 6G watch, one modem, one firmware stack and one SIM handle both, and the network decides which link you are on. A watch maker gets satellite with the 6G radio and does not need to add a separate chip or sign a separate satellite contract.
The limit is physics rather than design: the satellite is hundreds of kilometres away rather than down the valley, so the watch’s antenna and transmit power have to reach it, and the radio has to cover whatever bands the satellites use, which are not yet fixed. That is why texts will work on watches before data does.
The satellites those networks will use are already going up. SpaceX has told the ITU it is aiming for peak speeds of 150 Mbps per user on ordinary phones, roughly what a decent 5G mast delivers, and the FCC licensed its 15,000-satellite network on 6 October. AST SpaceMobile promises its first broadband coverage before the end of this year, patchy at first and filling in as more satellites launch. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, who agree on very little, formed a joint venture on 1 October to pool spectrum and write common specifications so that satellite works the same way on every phone.
Each of these is sold by a mobile network as part of a plan. Satellite is turning into a line on your bill rather than a product you buy separately, and O2’s £3 a month shows where the price is heading.
What it means on the trail
For athletes, off-grid adventurers, and anyone who spends time beyond a phone signal, the change is from a panic button to a connection. T-Mobile’s Starlink service already carries app data as well as texts: WhatsApp voice and video calls work over it, as do weather apps and AllTrails, and on iPhone, Apple’s own Fitness, Maps, and Weather apps.
That makes for a different day in the hills. Family can follow a live track across a whole mountain marathon rather than losing it at the first col. A runner can check the forecast before committing to an exposed ridge, and a cyclist can reroute around a closed road instead of guessing. Once Strava and the watch makers’ own apps support satellite links, an activity will upload before you reach the exfil point, and a coach can change tomorrow’s session while you are still out today.
Phones get this first and watches follow, partly because of commercials but also because of battery limitations. Reaching a satellite works the radio harder than a nearby mast does, and a watch carries a fraction of a phone’s battery. Low orbit helps, since a satellite passing overhead is far closer than the fixed ones Garmin uses, and Apple already tells Ultra 4 owners to wear the watch naturally rather than hold it skyward. Even so, battery life will decide how soon always-on satellite reaches anything smaller than an Ultra or a Fenix.
Moving satellites beat Garmin’s fixed ones.
Fenix 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 4 use Skylo’s geostationary satellites, which sit at one fixed point over the equator. If a gully wall or a north-facing slope hides that point, no message gets out however long you wait, which I covered in why the Fenix 8 Pro is not your adventure watch. Starlink, AST SpaceMobile and Iridium all fly in low orbit and cross the sky every few minutes, so a satellite eventually lines up with whatever gap you can see.
The carrier networks now arriving are therefore better at the one job Garmin’s watch service is sold to do. Garmin’s handheld inReach units run on Iridium, which still reaches the poles and the open ocean where the new networks do not yet go, and that is where the handheld keeps a real advantage.
What happens to inReach
The usefulness of inReach shrinks to the jobs carrier networks do worst: expeditions, polar trips and sailing. That is a small market for a product line built on monthly fees. The watch service faces an even harder comparison: £7.99 a month to Garmin against £3 to O2 today, and nothing at all once satellite is simply part of a 6G tariff. Garmin has already softened, letting inReach SOS work on a suspended plan, while Apple keeps extending its free satellite access.
Apple, Google and Samsung get satellite through the same carrier plans as their phones. COROS, Suunto and Polar would need only a satellite-capable chip and a carrier deal to match a Fenix. Garmin’s defence has to be what runs over the connection rather than the connection itself: its maps, its training platform, the Garmin Response rescue centre, and the Connect+ subscription that is already growing.
What could slow it down
- Hardly anyone uses satellite yet. A T-Mobile executive said in May that satellite traffic was about 0.0002% of the network’s total.
- AST’s first service is intermittent, and continuous coverage depends on launching many more satellites.
- SpaceX’s faster network depends on Starship flying regularly and on spectrum approvals country by country.
- Coverage differs by country. Apple’s Messages via satellite on Ultra 3 works only in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the UK; carrier services are a year behind the US.
For more on navigation and safety kit, see the hiking technology hub.
Quick answers
Will 6G watches have satellite built in?
Yes. 6G is being designed with satellite and ground networks as one system, so a 6G watch on a normal plan should switch to satellite when it loses a mast, using the same modem and software as its cellular connection. The first specifications are due in early 2029, with networks expected around 2030 and watches likely to follow phones.
Can my watch use Starlink now?
Some can. Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3 and Ultra 3 cellular models can use Starlink through carriers such as Rogers in Canada and KDDI in Japan, for messaging and emergencies. Garmin and Google watches use other satellite networks.
Does satellite on Fenix 8 Pro work in a gully?
Often it does not. Fenix 8 Pro uses geostationary satellites at a fixed point over the equator, so terrain that blocks that point blocks the connection. Low-orbit networks such as Iridium, Starlink, and AST SpaceMobile move overhead and eventually connect through a narrow gap.
Is a Garmin inReach still worth buying?
For expeditions, polar trips and sailing, a handheld inReach on the Iridium network is still the most reliable option. For UK hill walking and trail running, a phone with a carrier satellite add-on such as O2 Satellite can now send messages from most places without a signal, for less than an inReach plan.
Last Updated on 2 November 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Ravemen FR1000: The light and the computer mount in one unit, so nothing else goes on the bars. Better than mine.
- Ravemen FR1500SE: 1,500 lumens hanging under your Garmin, for proper night rides.
- Ravemen FR1100SE: 1,100 lumens under your Garmin, and up to 46 hours on slow flash.
- Ravemen FR500: A brighter FR300 with the same mount.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red and infrared light for sore knees, Achilles and other joints after hard training. I use it.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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Written by real people, with AI assistance. Fact-checked and verified for originality. See the Editorial Policy. FTC: Affiliate Disclosure — some links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
