Qualcomm introduced Snapdragon Satellite as the world’s first satellite-based two-way messaging solution for premium smartphones built into Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform at the CES 2023.
Today, at the MWC 2023, Qualcomm has announced its partnership with HONOR, Motorola, Nothing, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi who will develop smartphones with satellite communication capabilities leveraging the recently unveiled Snapdragon Satellite.
Snapdragon Satellite offers global coverage from pole to pole and can support two-way messaging for emergency use, SMS texting, and other messaging applications – for a variety of purposes such as emergencies or recreation in remote, rural and offshore locations.
The solution is supported by the low-Earth orbiting (LEO) and fully operational Iridium satellite constellation, which enables low-power, low-latency satellite connections utilizing weather-resilient L-band spectrum.
Snapdragon Satellite will be available across all upcoming 5G Modem-RF systems and Snapdragon Mobile Platform tiers (from 8- to 4- tier) as the ecosystem matures.
Beyond smartphones, Snapdragon Satellite is set to expand to other device categories in compute, automotive and IoT segments. As the ecosystem grows, OEMs and app developers will be able to differentiate and offer unique branded services taking advantage of satellite connectivity.
Snapdragon Satellite is planned to support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), as NTN satellite infrastructure and constellations become available.
Commenting on the partnership, Francesco Grilli, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, said:
Our long-standing relationships with Honor, Motorola, Nothing, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi are rooted in innovations and delivering exceptional connectivity experiences to consumers. By incorporating Snapdragon Satellite into next-generation devices, our partners will be able to offer satellite messaging capabilities thanks to a mature and commercially available global LEO constellation, which can allow subscribers around the world to communicate outdoors with emergency service providers, as well as family and friends.