Qualcomm, the company behind the Snapdragon chipsets found in many Android phones (like the Galaxy S22 and OnePlus 10T), announced “Snapdragon Satellite” at CES 2023 today. It’s advertised as the world’s first two-way messaging system for premium smartphones, using a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit operated by Iridium Communications.
There are a few differences between Qualcomm’s solution and the satellite SOS feature developed by Apple. First, Snapdragon Satellite is supposed to allow two-way communication, instead of the one-way emergency broadcasting on the iPhone 14. Qualcomm’s system also isn’t limited to emergency situations.
Well, this certainly would be very interesting, both from the two-way perspective, and the non-emergency use. But I’m sure it will come at a cost. Hopefully there will be some pre-paid type subscription one could take out.
See https://www.howtogeek.com/859327/qualcomm-wants-to-bring-satellite-texting-to-android-phones/
#technology #Android #Qualcomm #satellite