In early February 2023, Qualcomm and Iridium partnered to launch Snapdragon Satellite, a satellite messaging service that was expected to be available on select smartphones powered by the company’s Snapdragon chips. However, both companies have recently ended their partnership.
Accordingly, both Qualcomm and Iridium announced that they would terminate their agreement to provide satellite services to phones. According to a press release from Iridium, both developed and demonstrated this technology, but Android manufacturers decided not to include the service on their devices, which led to Qualcomm terminating the cooperation agreement and also stopping the Snapdragon Satellite project.
Snapdragon Satellite project canceled, but this feature may still be available on smartphones soon
But the end of the project doesn’t mean this connectivity won’t happen. Iridium’s CEO describes how the industry is evolving and how the technology will be implemented into consumer devices. Several companies are working hard to ensure that satellite connectivity becomes the norm at some point in the future.
Qualcomm also made a statement that once Snapdragon Satellite is discontinued, phones will start using a standards-based solution — which involves the phone connecting to a cell phone tower, then connecting to a base station and receiving a signal from the satellite.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the first chip to support Snapdragon Satellite, and the feature is expected to be available in the second half of this year. However, since the Iridium deal is no longer in effect, users will have to wait longer for satellite communications.
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