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You have been misled. The new frontier of mobile connectivity isn’t 5G or even 6G, it’s satellite. Last year it was Apple that unveiled its range of SOS via iPhone 14 satellite-enabled handsets. This year it’s Qualcomm, laying the groundwork at CES 2023 for a legion of Android phones capable of two-way communication via satellites in 2023 and beyond.
Demonstrating satellite communications capabilities, especially those on test platform mobile handsets and with software that is appropriate and far from consumer availability, is not easy. Even if you’re just trying to run a simulated test, you’ll want to take extraordinary measures to prove your satellite systems work. And instead you set the mood.
Qualcomm’s big idea in demonstrating Snapdragon Satellite to an enthusiastic group of tech journalists was to take us far, far away from the bustling, neon-light-filled gambling mecca that is Las Vegas.
After boarding a party bus (complete with stripper poles), we drove nearly 20 miles off the strip, past the gambling towers and old-fashioned Vegas casinos like Golden Nugget. We rode until the landscape was barren and littered with nothing but scrub. With the metal erector-like power lines standing like sentinels in the distance (reminding me that scene from Seven), we all got off the bus and onto the crumbled desert floor. This would be Snapdragon Satellite’s proving ground.
There may still be large parts of the Earth not covered by mobile signals, but when I looked at my phone I found that even though I couldn’t see a cell tower, I still had strong 5G.
While Qualcomm and, by extension, Android phones will be late to the consumer-level satellite communications party, Qualcomm is coming in from a different direction. Sure, the system as I described will, with the help of partner Garmin, provide emergency satellite communications and rescue services, but Snapdragon Satellite will start with something perhaps more consumers want and will use: satellite-based two-way texting.
Based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System will use new 1616hz and 1620hz bands to communicate with an extensive network of low earth orbit (LEO) Iridium satellites.
Unlike Apple’s satellite SOS, which currently only covers North America, Canada and Europe, Qualcomm and Iridium promise “pole-to-pole” coverage. The Iridium network is larger than Apple partner Global Star’s network, and Irisium executives told me it’s also newer. Iridium also claimed to me that while they have a LEO, Globalstar’s satellites operate in a less desirable medium earth orbit (MEO).
Instead of using the system when you’re in a pinch and without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite is a system you can use anytime, anywhere.
Want to text from a cruise ship? Go for it. Want to send an emoticon while walking in the woods? This satellite is yours.
Satellite systems have a lower bandwidth than mobile systems. As a result, Snapdragon Satellite is not a full multimedia messaging system. There is a strict limit of 140 bytes per message. The custom app keeps track of 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 text someone in your satellite contacts list. As we were shown, a Qualcomm representative selected a contact through the custom app and was then directed to point the phone at the nearest orbiting LEO Iridium satellite.
Like Apple’s SOS via satellite solution, Snapdragon Satellite does not require a dedicated external antenna to operate. Qualcomm told us that a different antenna could improve performance, but a midband antenna would work just fine. The key is that the antenna is built into the top of the phone, making it easy to point it at a nearby satellite.
Being in the middle of nowhere with nothing but expanses of parched earth stretching as far as the eye could see (there was a mountain range in the distance), the demo phone with an integrated satellite antenna quickly acquired a clear, unobstructed view of a satellite . It can take up to 10 seconds to send the messages, but in this case it was instant.
Qualcomm executives detained another Android phone that received the message as if it had come through a normal cellular network — the system uses your current phone numbers.
You can also use the same Snapdragon satellite system in case of an emergency. In this case, your text for help may be routed through Garmin’s existing call center systems. However, Qualcomm didn’t demonstrate emergency use and told us they didn’t want to fake an emergency. I was a bit surprised because Apple figured out exactly how to do that with its system when I tested it a few months ago.
While it’s fair to assume that future Samsung and other Android phones could feature Snapdragon Satellite, Qualcomm didn’t name any partners. They did tell us that the bands were so new that no partner would be able to have support phones for the foreseeable future. This more or less excludes Samsung’s anticipated Galaxy S23 lineup, which is expected to launch early next month, from the satellite communications mix. Yes, the phones have the requisite premium Snapdragon CPUs and even the proper modem hardware, but they don’t have the components for the new bands or, most likely, the supporting software.
In addition, Android handset manufacturers need to figure out how to implement Qualcomm’s satellite SMS software. Will they integrate it themselves? Will they turn to carrier partners for support? Unlikely because carriers move so slowly. Could they look into third-party companies like WhatsApp? Possible.
While Qualcomm doesn’t expect whoever integrates satellite communications to charge much for emergency services, texting by satellite will probably cost you. How much does anyone guess.
Thing is, while I saw Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite at work in the Las Vegas desert, it won’t be until later this year that we’ll see premium Android phones that support it. Perhaps the next Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Z Flip 5 will get the credit.
After the demo, we stormed back on the bus and I thought about passengers from the previous party bus, wondering if they cared about technology or satellite texting. Probably not, but maybe.
Check out our CES 2023 hub for all the latest from the show as it happens. We cover everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets, so stay with us for the big stories.