Qualcomm offers satellite messaging for Android with Snapdragon Satellite

When Apple introduced the iPhone 14 in the fall of 2022, one of the novelties was emergency calls via satellite, something made possible in cooperation with Globalstar, which has a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). During CES 2023 Qualcomm announces They are following suit and bringing the feature to Android with the Snapdragon Satellite.

“Iridium is proud to be the Snapdragon Satellite-enabled satellite network for premium smartphones. Our network is built for this service – our advanced LEO satellites cover every part of the world and support low-power and latency connections ideal for satellite-powered services enabled by the groundbreaking Snapdragon Satellite Millions rely on our connections every day, and we look forward to many more millions connected via Snapdragon Satellite-enabled smartphones.” – Matt Dish, CEO, Iridium

Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite enabled alongside Globalstar competitor Iridium, which has a constellation in LEO of 66 satellites. Unlike Apple, we’re not talking about emergency calling here, but the ability to send messages, something that isn’t only meant to be used in emergencies. Obviously, Qualcomm is also intended for recreational purposes in remote locations, such as rural areas and out at sea.

“Starting with premium smartphones later this year, this new addition to our Snapdragon platform positions us aggressively to enable satellite connectivity capabilities and service offerings across multiple device classes.” – Durga Maladi, Director of Modems and Infrastructure at Qualcomm

The feature requires new hardware and the first to support it is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 released on Next Generation Phones. It makes no sense that this is the system circuit (SoC) that will be used in the majority of all flagship phones in 2023, one of which is Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series that will be unveiled on February 1st.

In addition to phones, Qualcomm envisions the Snapdragon Satellite being used by other types of mobile devices, such as laptops, tablets, cars, and the liquid class of the Internet of Things (IoT). Going forward, support for 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) will also be added when it becomes available.