For the first time, support for satellite communications appeared in the iPhone 14. And at the beginning of this year, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon Satellite program, which was supposed to become a common platform for vendors and accelerate the introduction of satellite communications into Android smartphones.
However, Qualcomm’s main partner, Iridium, terminated The agreement with the brand and Snapdragon Satellite will be closed on December 3, 2023, having existed for less than a year and without bringing satellite connectivity to any smartphone.
Apple smartphones again remained the only pool of devices that more or less massively offer satellite communications. As for Android devices, companies like Huawei, Xiaomi or Samsung will have to develop their own chip for satellite communications and enter into agreements with satellite operators.
