Qualcomm announced on the sidelines of its attendance at the Mobile World Congress 2023, which begins today (Monday) in Barcelona, Spain, that a number of prominent smartphone makers will introduce satellite communication capabilities in their devices.
The US tech giant said phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, (None) and (Honor) Honor will support satellite communications. For their part, the aforementioned companies did not disclose any details about their plans in this regard.
Qualcomm announced a partnership with satellite communications services company (Iridium) on January 6 while attending the Consumer Electronics Show CES 2023 in Las Vegas, US.
At that time, the chip maker unveiled a new product that would allow Android smartphone users to connect to satellites like Apple did with iPhone 14 owners.
As part of Qualcomm's partnership with the satellite company (Iridium), a product called (Snapdragon Satellite) can be added to Android phones and other devices to support two-way communication via Iridium satellites.
Potential applications include SOS emergency services, text messaging and other low-bandwidth messaging applications in areas beyond the range of terrestrial communications that Iridium satellites are licensed to operate.
Qualcomm said today that (Snapdragon Satellite) will be available via an upcoming RF modem and different models of smartphone processors from 8 to 4 series.
“By integrating (Snapdragon Satellite) into next-generation hardware, our partners will be able to offer satellite-based messaging capabilities through LEO's mature, commercially available global suite that allows users around the world to communicate openly with emergency service providers and communicate with family and friends.
Notably, Apple began offering emergency satellite communications with the iPhone 14 series last year, first in the United States and Canada, and then in France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom via the Globestar satellite network.
Last week, Samsung announced its satellite technology and promised to put it in smartphones of the future.
Along with these companies, British smartphone maker Bullitt, which also showcased its satellite technology at CES 2023, announced a satellite smartphone just days before the MWC conference.
Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek will also showcase a satellite communication solution for smartphones at MWC 2023.