Following the breakup of Qualcomm and Iridium, there will be no Snapdragon Satellite

The Cupertino-based tech company Apple introduced the satellite messaging and communication feature with the iPhone 14 series. Since then, several Android smartphone companies have followed Apple’s footprints. Previously, we learned that Qualcomm will also enter this race by introducing Snapdragon Satellite. However, it appears like it won’t happen now.

Recently, Qualcomm and Iridium have declared that they are ending their partnership regarding satellite-to-phone services. Iridium shared a press release that indicates that both companies were successful in designing the technology. However, the concerned smartphone companies refused to utilize it in their devices. For this reason, the companies are ending the agreement.

The separation does not imply that satellite connectivity is not taking place. The CEO of Iridium stated that the industry is moving forward with integrating technology into consumer goods. Similar experiments are currently underway at companies like SpaceX, AT&T, and T-Mobile. For instance, T-Mo users will be able to transmit messages from remote locations via SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

On the other hand, Qualcomm revealed that smartphone companies will stick with the same standard methods that connect the devices with a cell phone tower. The cell phone tower has a connection with a base station that gets its signals from a high-orbit satellite. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can connect with satellites. Smartphone companies were only required to add the required antenna hardware to devices. The technology was expected to arrive in H2 this year; however, it won’t be happening now. In addition to continuing to build current solutions using Iridium, the San Diego company’s decision allows it to work directly with manufacturers.