With Snapdragon Satellite, Qualcomm allows Android smartphones to communicate via satellite

Qualcomm Unveils Its Qualcomm Satellite: Satellite Text Messages, Urgent or Not, for Android Smartphones.

Last year, Apple introduced Emergency SOS which allows the iPhone 14 to connect to a satellite to send an emergency message. Today, Qualcomm Unveils its own satellite calling feature for smartphones robot. Baptized Satellite Snapdragonit allows devices with the X70 modem to connect to a satellite to send messages when no cellular signal is available.

Qualcomm unveils its Qualcomm satellite

The feature, which is expected to be available on smartphones in the second half of 2023, is the result of a partnership with satellite phone maker Iridium. Android devices with X70 modem and SoC Qualcomm He will be able to connect to the Iridium satellite network to send SMS.

As with the majority of Qualcomm’s technology, the final implementation will depend on the smartphone manufacturer. They are very flexible on this point. If we didn’t know precisely when all this would be available, Qualcomm gave a demo to our colleagues from Engadget at CES 2023.

As with Apple Emergency SOS, you need to be outdoors with clear skies to use satellite communications. Once activated, a message appears making you point to the device correctly to establish the connection. It takes a few seconds to start the process once the phone is in place.

When the phone was connected to the satellite, the experimental devices were able to send text messages to a preset contact list. Qualcomm states that this feature will remain in place to ensure that spam does not clog the satellite network. However, the company said manufacturers will have some leeway to make the process more like a traditional messaging app.

However, there are some limitations compared to these traditional applications. Satellite messages remain limited to 140 bytes, or about 160 characters, which makes it old-school SMS, or nearly so. So it is impossible to send pictures or videos via satellite.

Satellite text messaging, urgent or not, for Android smartphones

Unlike Apple’s Emergency SOS, Qualcomm wants to make it snapdragon Satellite is a messaging solution not just for emergencies. So the Android version of the feature may be more useful, keeping in touch with loved ones in hard-to-reach areas. However, these connections will obviously have an additional cost. Qualcomm did not go into pricing details.

The Snapdragon Satellite also only allows text messages, not calls. In really serious situations, the company has partnered with Garmin, which provides an emergency satellite communication device called inReach. This means that emergency messages will be routed by the same team that handles SOS calls from inReach devices. It’s a slightly different approach than Apple, which sometimes forwards calls to First Aid on behalf of the person sending the emergency message.

Details are unfortunately scarce as to when or what numbers the smartphones that will be entitled to the Snapdragon Satellite will arrive. For now, Samsung says it expects to see the first models from “many” manufacturers in the second half of 2023. This also doesn’t mean that the feature will be available on all Android smartphones with an X70 modem. and Qualcomm SoCs. In fact, smartphones with the X70 modem launched before the second half of the year do not have the necessary components to enable Snapdragon Satellite connectivity.

We should know more in the coming months. Continued !