You have been deceived. The new frontier of mobile connectivity is not 5G or even 6G, which is satellite. Last year, Apple unveiled the SOS product line through satellite capabilities iPhone 14″ Handset. This year is Qualcomm, laying the foundation for CES 2023 for countless Android phones with satellite-based two-way messaging by 2023 and beyond.
It is impossible to demonstrate satellite communications capabilities, especially those on mobile test platform handsets and with the right software and across multiple steps from consumer availability. easy. Even if you are just trying to do a simulation test, you still want to take extraordinary measures to prove that your satellite system works. And instead, you set the mood.
Qualcomm’s big idea in showing off the Snapdragon Satellite to a group of eager tech journalists was to take us far away from the boisterous, neon-lit gambling mecca that is Las Vegas.
After piling up on a party bus (complete with strippers), we drove nearly 20 miles beyond the strip, past gambling towers and old-fashioned Vegas casinos like Golden Nuggets. We drove until the landscape turned barren and there was nothing but bushes. With power lines like metal uprights standing like sentinels in the distance (and reminding me of that scene from Seven), we all rushed out of the bus and rode across the barren land of the desert. This will be the proving ground of Snapdragon Satellite.
There may still be large swaths of the earth that aren’t covered by cellular signals, but glancing at my phone, I noticed, even though I couldn’t detect any cell towers, but I still have strong 5G.
While Qualcomm and by extension Android phones will be late to the consumer-grade satellite communications party, Qualcomm is coming at it from a different direction. Sure, with support from our partner Garmin, the system I’ve described will provide rescue services and emergency satellite communications, but Snapdragon Satellite will start with something that many consumers probably won’t. users want and will use more: two-way satellite-based messaging.
Based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and the Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System, the new 1616hz and 1620hz bands will be used to communicate with a vast network of Iridium satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). ).
Unlike Apple’s SOS via Satellite, which currently only covers North America, Canada, and Europe, Qualcomm and Iridium are promising “pole-to-pole” coverage. The Iridium network is larger than the Apple Global Star partner network, and Irisium moderators tell me it’s newer too. Iridium also stated to me that while they have LEO, Globalstar satellites operating in mean earth orbit (MEO) are less desirable
Instead of using the system when you’re stuck and don’t have Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite is a system that can be used anywhere, anytime.
Want to text from a cruise ship? Just give it a try. Want to send an emoji while walking in the woods? This satellite is yours.
Satellite systems have lower bandwidth than cell based systems. Therefore, Snapdragon Satellite is not a full-fledged multimedia messaging system. There is a strict limit of 140 bytes per message. The custom app tracks it for you.
As for how you use it, you start with the Snapdragon Satellite App and use your current phone number as identifier. However, you can only satellite message someone in your contact list. As shown to us, a Qualcomm representative selected a contact through a custom app and was then directed to point the phone toward the nearest orbiting LEO Iridium satellite.
Like Apple’s satellite SOS solution, Snapdragon Satellite doesn’t need a special external antenna to work. Qualcomm told us that another antenna could improve performance, but a mid-range antenna should work just fine. It is important that the antenna is built into the top of the phone to easily point it at a nearby satellite.
Since we were in the middle of nowhere with nothing but arid swaths of land as far as the eye could see (there was a mountain range in the distance), the test phone with a built-in satellite antenna quickly picked up the signal. clear, unobstructed. view of a satellite. The messages can take up to 10 seconds to send, but in this case, it happened instantly.
Qualcomm executives held up another Android phone that received the message as if it were coming from a regular cellular network – the system that uses your current phone number.
You can also use the same Snapdragon Satellite system in case of an emergency. In this case, your help request text may be forwarded to existing Garmin call center systems. Qualcomm didn’t demonstrate emergency use though, letting us know that they don’t want to fake an emergency. I’m a bit surprised that Apple figured it out how to do exactly that with its system when I tested it a few months ago.
While it might be fair to assume that Samsung and other future Android phones could feature the Snapdragon Satellite, Qualcomm didn’t mention a single partner. They have told us that the bands are so new that neither partner is likely to have phone support for the foreseeable future. This more or less cuts Samsung’s expectations Galaxy S23 lineup, slated to launch early next month, from a mix of satellite communications. Yes, the phones will have the necessary top-of-the-line Snapdragon CPUs and even the right modem hardware, but they won’t have the components for the new bands or possibly the supporting software.
Also, Android handset makers have to figure out how they want to implement Qualcomm’s satellite messaging software. Will they integrate it themselves? Will they turn to shipping partners for support? Not sure because carriers move very slowly. Can they look to third-party companies like WhatsApp? Feasibility.
While Qualcomm doesn’t expect anyone who integrates satellite communications to charge much for emergency services, satellite messaging for this service is likely to cost you dearly. How much is anyone’s guess.
The thing is, while I saw the Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite in action in the Las Vegas desert, it won’t be until later this year that we see high-end Android phones that support it. Maybe next Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Z flip 5 will receive honor.
After the demo, we headed back to the bus and I looked at the previous group’s bus passengers, wondering if they were interested in technology or satellite messaging. Probably not, but maybe.
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