Qualcomm to bring satellite connectivity to phones: What does it mean?
Qualcomm has announced a partnership with Honor, Motorola, Nothing, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi with the aim to bring satellite connectivity features to phones using Snapdragon Satellite. This means that phones running on Qualcomm chips will be able to connect to satellites in the sky to send and receive messages when there is no coverage from the carrier. This satellite-based two-way messaging solution will allow users to contact emergency services if they are in a remote area, send and receive SMS messages, and more. The low-Earth orbiting (LEO) Iridium satellite constellation will support this solution and will use a weather-resilient L-band spectrum to send messages.
Qualcomm’s plans for the future
Qualcomm plans to expand Snapdragon Satellite beyond smartphones to be used in computing, automotive, and IoT segments. When 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) become available, Snapdragon Satellite is planned to be able to support them too. This means that Qualcomm is looking to the future and is planning to bring satellite connectivity to more than just smartphones.
