Rugged phone manufacturer Bullitt Group was tipped to become the latest to equip standard devices to receive satellite signals, with BBC News reporting the company aimed to launch a product in early 2023.

The news service stated UK-headquartered Bullitt plans to launch a device capable of sending and receiving messages in February 2023.

Bullitt co-founder Richard Wharton stated it hopes to “jump ahead” of rival services and devices with a smartphone “capable of two-way messaging”.

The Bullitt phone is expected to automatically link to one of two global satellite networks in areas lacking mobile coverage. It will run a chip developed over the past 18 months by Asian manufacturer, Wharton told BBC News.

There is growing interest in equipping standard mobile devices to receive satellite signals, with rumours Apple’s latest iPhone will offer connectivity to Globalstar birds and a Google executive this week indicating a future version of Android will be compatible.

Late last month, T-Mobile US revealed a deal to deliver connectivity from the second generation of SpaceX satellites, one of several operators and specialist players exploring such deals.