Snapdragon Satellite

In news– Apple iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via satellite will soon come to Android phones.

About Snapdragon Satellite-

Qualcomm at CES 2023 has announced Snapdragon Satellite- a satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution for premium smartphones.
The company has partnered with Iridium and Garmin to introduce the satellite connectivity for two-way texting in remote or no internet connectivity areas.
As per the company, Snapdragon Satellite feature will be available only on phones that run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and its X70 Modem system.
The feature is scheduled to roll out on next-generation smartphones, launched in select regions starting in the second half of 2023.
The Snapdragon Satellite is powered by Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems and is backed by Iridium’s operational satellite constellation.
The solution for smartphones utilizes Iridium’s weather-resilient L-band spectrum for uplink and downlink.
To send SMS via satellite, one will need a clear sky and time to set up a connection between one’s phone and the satellite. Once the connection is set up, one can start sending SMS messages.
One can send only 160-character messages using the Qualcomm’s satellite connectivity feature. One can type his/her own messages and choose the recipient from your phone’s contact book which isn’t possible with iPhone 14. Apple allows to send limited responses to emergency services.
Qualcomm, for now, will add the Satellite messaging feature only to its premium chips with plans to expand it to laptops, tablets, IoT and vehicles.