Qualcomm Enables Satellite Connectivity For Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi Smartphones

Several phone manufacturers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, Nothing, and Honor, have included satellite communication capabilities to their devices, according to a Qualcomm announcement at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Manufacturers did not specify which gadgets will have these features first or when the firms will debut them.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon Satellite technology in collaboration with satellite service provider Iridium.

With the help of this technology, smartphones will be able to use satellites for two-way texting and other messaging functions during emergencies.

The chipmaker announced that Snapdragon Satellite will be offered in a variety of 8 and 4 series processor variants for smartphones, as well as forthcoming RF modems.

“By incorporating Snapdragon Satellite into next–generation devices, our partners will be able to offer satellite messaging capabilities thanks to a mature and commercially available global LEO constellation, which can allow subscribers around the world to communicate outdoors with emergency service providers, as well as family and friends,” Qualcomm vice president for product management, Francesco Grilli said in a statement.

With the iPhone 14 series last year, Apple launched satellite-based emergency communication services, first in the US and Canada, then via Globestar's satellite network in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK.

Samsung revealed last week that it would include its own satellite technology into a future smartphone.

Moreover, a few days before to MWC, British smartphone manufacturer Bullitt, which also debuted its own satellite technology at CES, announced a rugged smartphone with satellite communication.

At the occasion, Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek will also present its smartphone satellite connectivity option.

This lays the foundation for next smartphones to offer emergency satellite communication functions for remote locations where network connectivity is unreliable.