Apple is offering emergency satellite text service.

In only one direction too right? I e. you don't know if the message has been received?

It's two-way: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213426

"Once you’re connected, your iPhone starts a text conversation with emergency responders by sharing critical information [...]

You might be asked to respond to additional messages. Only Latin characters (such as English or French) are supported in these messages. [...]"

Ok, nice, then my colleague got it wrong.

You do, you can try it with updating your find my location without an actual emergency. It tells you where to point/hold and when it's done.

The emergency texting is also 2-way.

No, it's bidirectional.

> Starlink shown it's important in the Ukraine-Russia war.

Right up until Musk unilaterally decides Ukraine shouldn't be able to use the service for whatever reason (I don't buy his stated excuse).

Decided. He has already blocked their use https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/9/13/russias-putin-p...

StarShield came out of that though, which might be a legitimate compromise. e.g. governments purchase StarShield and then just do whatever they want with the constellation.

I don't disagree with your sentiments here. But if you've got a service and it's being used for war (regardless of whose side you're on or how patriotic you are), it's not abusive (from my perspective) to just opt out providing service. If Musk is completely a pacifist, which I doubt but let's go with it, then StarShield might end up being a reasonable compromise.

That turned out to be yet another instance of CNN lying about/acting on insufficient/poor information and has since been walked back by the very person that made the original allegation. Confusingly in direct contradiction with supposed excerpts from his book.

Isn't even the first time they falsely alleged that SpaceX shut down Starlink to cause Ukraine trouble and failed to follow up with a correction as loudly as they made the original claims.

https://twitter.com/WalterIsaacson/status/170034224229090136...