Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is entering the mobile satellite communication market in collaboration with Iridium and Garmin. The company introduced Snapdragon Satellite at CES 2023, the first satellite solution supporting two-way messaging for premium smartphones. The Qualcomm/Iridium agreement will bring satellite-based connectivity to next-generation premium Android smartphones while Garmin joins the collaboration providing support for emergency messaging.
(Source: Qualcomm Technologies Inc.)
Snapdragon Satellite will offer pole-to-pole global coverage supporting two-way messaging for emergency use, SMS texting, and other messaging applications for emergencies or recreation in remote, rural and offshore locations. Francesco Grilli, Qualcomm’s vice president, product management, explained: “For now, we are not trying to implement satellite phone communication. We are just focusing on data because that allows us to use an internal antenna inside the phone, the same size as the regular antenna.”
According to a recent Forbes article, Millions of Americans are Still Missing Out on Broadband Access . . ., approximately 42 million Americans do not have access to broadband. When emergencies occur in these areas, not only is it difficult for those in danger or distress to notify authorities that they need help, but emergency workers are also slower to respond. Beyond the initial focus on emergency services, Qualcomm’s solution will be first to provide viable messaging capabilities to those without broadband services.
Snapdragon Satellite will provide global connectivity using mobile messaging, starting with devices based on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform and the Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF system, with the opportunity to expand emergency and two-way satellite messaging beyond smartphones. Snapdragon Satellite will enable OEMs and other service providers to offer complete global coverage — all that’s required is a view of the open sky.
The solution
How does it work? The phones will predict where Iridium satellites are located. When users want to connect, GPS and other measurements will indicate the direction the user needs to face. When a lock on the satellite occurs, it will take approximately three to 10 seconds to send and receive messages.
Iridium will launch Snapdragon Satellite, a two-way capable messaging solution for premium smartphones, such as Android while Garmin will provide emergency response solutions for emergency messaging.
Iridium’s weather-resilient L-band spectrum will be used for uplink and downlink. Iridium’s low earth orbit (LEO) satellites talk to each other in addition to base stations, a feature that not all satellite providers have. The LEO satellites provide global coverage and support low-power, low-latency connections. While the Snapdragon Satellite solution is proprietary digital technology, it is compatible with the Iridium Protocol, enabling the use of all legacy devices. Garmin, under the collaboration, will expand its satellite emergency response services to millions of new smartphone users.
Competitively, the Snapdragon Satellite solution is unique when compared with such emergency services as Apple’s iPhone 14 safety service Emergency SOS, that also runs via satellite connectivity. Apple provides satellite services only during emergencies and the services are not global. In comparison, smartphones connected to the Snapdragon Satellite solution will soon exchange text messages with anyone, not just during emergencies.
Other entrants into the space will include T-Mobile and Elon Musk’s SpaceX partnership and AT&T as well. Snapdragon Satellite, being first to provide satellite-based connectivity for premium smartphones market in emergencies and for non-emergency global messaging, will potentially provide an edge.
While the initial focus is on emergency services via premium smartphones, other devices in the near future will include laptops, tablets, vehicles and the internet of things.
Today smartphones, tomorrow IoT
Emergency messaging on Snapdragon Satellite is expected to launch in select regions starting in the second half of 2023. Initially, it will be available in flagship Android phones and Snapdragon Satellite will be limited to emergency situations where the user can contact help even if in a remote area with no cell service.
Satellite networks provide coverage to nearly all the Earth’s surface, which will satisfy increased IoT connectivity demands in isolated or inaccessible areas. LEO satellites are deployed as low as 200 km where there are lower signal propagation losses, which reduce power requirements, making it suited for connectivity to low-power IoT devices.
According to IoT Analytics’ Satellite IoT Connectivity Market Report 2022–2026, satellite connectivity will play an increasingly important role in the future of IoT. The company predicts that low-power and low-cost IoT connectivity through LEO are expected to gain ground and account for approximately 20% of the global market by 2026.
(Source: loT Analytics Research 2022 – Satellite loT Market Report 2022)
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