Earlier this February, Qualcomm and Iridium teamed up to release Snapdragon Satellite, a new satellite messaging service that was going to come to several Snapdragon-powered smartphones. However, it appears that we will have to wait longer than that, as both companies have ended their partnership.
With the death of Snapdragon Satellite, Android users will have to wait longer before the features become publically available
Qualcomm and Iridium have announced that they're ending their deal to provide satellite-to-phone services. According to a press release from Iridium, both parties developed and demonstrated the technology, but Android OEMs decided not to include this service on their device, which led to Qualcomm ending the agreement, thus bringing Snapdragon Satellite to an end.
However, the end of the Snapdragon Satellite does not mean that the connectivity will not be coming. The Iridium CEO talked about how the industry is going forward and how the technology will be implemented into consumer devices. Several companies are actively working on making sure that satellite connectivity becomes a norm at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm has issued a statement talking about how, in light of the demise of Snapdragon Satellite, phones will start to use the standard-based solution. This will involve the phone connecting to the cell phone tower, which is then connected to the base station, which in turn gets the signal from a high-orbit satellite.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was the first chip that supported Snapdragon Satellite, and the feature was supposed to go widespread in the second half of this year. However, since the deal with Iridium is no longer in place, we will have to wait longer to see whether or not we get proper satellite communication features on our modern-day smartphones.
How do you feel about Snapdragon Satellite's demise before its release? In the comments below, let us know what you think about satellite communication coming to smartphones.
News Source: CNBC
About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.
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