Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon Satellite for global coverage on premium mobile devices

Qualcomm has announced a new solution called Snapdragon Satellite coming to its flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform which will be present in premium phones later this year. With Snapdragon Satellite, OEMs and service providers will be able to offer “truly global coverage” via Iridium’s weather-resilient L-band spectrum.

Data you’ll be able to send through satellites won’t include the full breadth of data that you’re used to sending on general mobile networks, instead, Snapdragon Satellite will enable emergency messaging SMS messaging, and other messaging applications. You shouldn't expect this on your mid-range phone either, Qualcomm says it’s coming to premium devices first, in select regions.

“Robust and reliable connectivity is at the heart of premium experiences. Snapdragon Satellite showcases our history of leadership in enabling global satellite communications and our ability to bring superior innovations to mobile devices at scale,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Kicking off in premium smartphones later this year, this new addition to our Snapdragon platform strongly positions us to enable satellite communication capabilities and service offerings across multiple device categories.”

While the hardware will initially come to high-end phones, Qualcomm has expressed that Snapdragon Satellite could expand to other devices including laptops, tablets, vehicles, and IoT. The company said that OEMs and app developers will eventually be able to launch branded services that use satellite connectivity, but again, that will come further down the road by the sounds of it. Furthermore, Qualcomm says that Snapdragon Satellite will support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) as constellations become more widely available.

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