At CES 2023 in January, Qualcomm revealed a brand new venture, Snapdragon Satellite, that will let telephones packing Snapdragon chips use satellites to hyperlink up in areas with no cell sign. However now the deal is off between Qualcomm and satellite tv for pc community firm Iridium, leaving Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc’s future unsure.
Apple was the primary to deploy large-scale phone-to-satellite communications with Emergency SOS, which debuted on the iPhone 14 collection in October 2022. Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc months later as a hardwired method for Android telephones to make use of Iridium’s satellites for calls and texting past cell sign vary as a paid service. Qualcomm stated that telephones might begin popping out with the performance within the second half of 2023, although producers would have needed to implement it of their handsets.
Regardless of a profitable demonstration of Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc at CES, so far no telephones have launched with it, which is why Qualcomm has ended its take care of Iridium, in line with the latter’s press release on Thursday.
“Whereas I am disenchanted that this partnership did not bear instant fruit, we imagine the course of the business is obvious towards elevated satellite tv for pc connectivity in shopper gadgets,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch stated within the press launch. “Our world protection and regulatory certainty make us nicely suited to be a key participant on this rising market. Person expertise might be crucial to their success, and we have confirmed that we will present a dependable, world functionality to cell customers.”
Iridium famous that it’ll proceed to pursue partnerships with telephone producers and cell business gamers for “present and future service plans” of satellite tv for pc connectivity.
A graphic exhibiting Iridium’s world satellite tv for pc protection.
Qualcomm offered a press release that cited smartphone producers’ choice for standards-based connectivity choices, relatively than the chip-based Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc proprietary answer. The corporate did not say if Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc was ending or if it might proceed with one other accomplice, solely that it’ll maintain engaged on satellite tv for pc connectivity in gadgets.
“We anticipate to proceed to collaborate with Iridium on standards-based options whereas discontinuing efforts on the proprietary answer that was launched earlier this yr,” a Qualcomm spokesperson stated in a press release. The corporate continues to assist non-terrestrial community (aka satellite tv for pc) options utilizing the industrial-focused mobile modems it launched in July that hyperlink as much as the Skylo community of satellites.
Final month, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii targeted on new chips bringing on-device generative AI to telephones and PCs, however the firm was extra muted about Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc, acknowledging that the ball was in system producers’ court docket.
“Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc is only a larger dedication” than on-device AI, Chris Patrick, Qualcomm senior vp of engineering, advised CNET. “The barrier it’s essential to cross as an finish person, as an [original equipment manufacturer], as an infrastructure-providing ecosystem participant, like Google for instance, is simply larger.”
Patrick declined to particularly touch upon what’s in retailer for Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc in 2024, solely noting that there was “plenty of vitality, plenty of dialogue, plenty of good issues taking place. We’ll see what occurs.”
Watch this: I Tried Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc on the iPhone 14
Nonetheless ready for the yr of satellite tv for pc connectivity
That is the most recent setback in what appeared like a year where satellite connectivity was set to expand phone use past cell networks. All three main carriers within the US introduced their very own satellite tv for pc telephone options, however haven’t moved past tech demonstrations. T-Cellular partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink for satellite tv for pc service, however AT&T has tried to block that deployment for worry of the service encroaching by itself spectrum.
For its half, AT&T linked up with AST SpaceMobile to increase its protection, however hasn’t introduced something extra in practically a yr. Likewise, Verizon revealed method again in October 2021 that it might use Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites for connectivity however hasn’t offered an replace since. (Amazon launched the first satellites in Mission Kuiper’s community final month.)
Immediately, Apple’s iPhones are the one handsets launched within the US which have satellite tv for pc connectivity. The final yr has been punctuated with tales of iPhone 14 homeowners who’ve used Emergency SOS to get assist after tumbling into canyons and to even escape the lethal Maui wildfires.
