Qualcomm announces Snapdragon Satellite for Android
Qualcomm partnered with Iridium, which operates a 66-strong Low Earth orbit satellite constellation. One of its main competitors is Globalstar, which is Apple’s partner for its service. Check Also: Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 782G as replacement for 778G Snapdragon Satellite will support two-way messaging for emergency use, SMS texting, and “other messaging applications”. Qualcomm clearly states it won’t be just for emergencies, but also “recreation in remote, rural, and offshore locations”. All devices that feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset will soon get this feature. Emergency messaging on Snapdragon Satellite will be available on next-generation smartphones starting in the second half of 2023. Snapdragon Satellite can expand to other devices too, like laptops, tablets, cars, and IoT products. OEMs and app developers can offer unique branded services by taking advantage of satellite connectivity. Snapdragon Satellite will support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) as they become available. Garmin will also collaborate with Qualcomm with support for emergency messaging. Brad Trenkle, vice president of Garmin’s outdoor segment, said “Garmin welcomes the opportunity to expand our proven satellite emergency response services to millions of new smartphone users globally. 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”. See Also: iPhone 15 likely to use Qualcomm 5G modem
