Snapdragon chips won’t have satellite communications for now – Qualcomm and Iridium cancel the deal
At the beginning of the year, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon Satellite initiative, which is equipping its own Snapdragon processors with satellite modems for use in conventional smartphones. It looks like this will not happen: Qualcomm and satellite operator Iridium have canceled the deal. Smartphone manufacturers did not meet the companies halfway.
Iridium’s press release says that the partners managed to develop and test the technology, but smartphone manufacturers refused to add the appropriate antennas and equipment to their devices, after which Qualcomm decided to stop it.
Qualcomm says that its chips will continue to be used in conventional solutions that only support connectivity to a regular cellular network. The Snapdragon Satellite project was supposed to start in the second half of 2023, but it is unlikely to happen.
Despite the failure of the global project, smartphone manufacturers and telecom operators intend to implement satellite connectivity on an individual basis. Apple has done this in a limited way since the iPhone 14, T-Mobile subscribers can send messages via the Starlink network, and some Chinese companies have announced the future integration of satellite communications into smartphones.
