Qualcomm to bring satellite communications to Android smartphones

Chipmaker Qualcomm has thrown itself into the world of satellite messaging with a new feature, Snapdragon Satellite, aimed at high-end Android smartphones.

The new feature will be available later this year to next-generation devices based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, which the company unveiled in November last year.

Qualcomm has teamed up with Iridium to use its satellite network for communications, making use of a weather-resilient L-band spectrum. However, along with the limitation to premium smartphones, it will only be available in select regions initially.

Satellite communication is an area that Apple has put a spotlight on in recent months after it debuted a new SOS feature for its latest iPhone 14 handsets that allows people to communicate with emergency services when they are out of mobile network coverage.

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But Qualcomm’s technology is not reserved for emergency use, the company said, and could facilitate two-way messaging for recreational use, particularly in rural or offshore locations where mobile signal may be poor or non-existent.

And while it is being pitched for Android devices at the moment, Snapdragon Satellite will also open up the possibility of bringing satellite emergency communications to other devices that could make use of it in emergency situations, including laptops, tablets, vehicles and internet of things devices.

“Snapdragon Satellite showcases our history of leadership in enabling global satellite communications and our ability to bring superior innovations to mobile devices at scale,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice-president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure at Qualcomm. “Kicking off in premium smartphones later this year, this new addition to our Snapdragon platform strongly positions us to enable satellite communication capabilities and service offerings across multiple device categories.”

Tech company Garmin will also be collaborating with support for emergency messaging.

“Garmin welcomes the opportunity to expand our proven satellite emergency response services to millions of new smartphone users globally,” said Brad Trenkle, vice-president of Garmin’s outdoor segment. “Garmin Response supports thousands of SOS incidents each year and has likely saved many lives in the process, and we are looking forward to collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies and Iridium to help people connect to emergency services no matter where life takes them.”