The satellite connection arrives on Android (to call in case of emergency): the new Qualcomm technology

After iPhones 14 some too android smartphones they can rely on on the satellite connection for sending emergency messages. It was the announcement during the CES in Las Vegas the processor company Qualcomm: a number of future models of Android smartphones will be able to count on the renamed Snapdragon Satellit solutionAnd. To access the satellite connection Qualcomm has tight an agreement with the Iridium company which has 66 satellites in orbit and it’s active for 25 years in the sector.

Who (and when) will be able to use it

Only those who will be able to use this technology smartphones that will integrate the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform inside. At the moment, the models that will have access to this feature have not been specified, although it is clear that it should be at least initially of high-end smartphones made by the main manufacturers, first of all Samsung and Google. The satellite connection will be usable starting from the second half of 2023but no reference was made to any additional costs for the services on the part of the user.

The other services

As pointed out within the Qualcomm press releasethe satellite connection will allow access to an emergency service to seek help via your smartphone, when no other type of coverage is available. But the company has also referred to other features as the exchange of text messages or the possibility of connecting from rural areas, or otherwise unconnected, for daily activities that go beyond use in emergency circumstances.

Qualcomm wants to overcome the use of Snapdragon Satellite only from smartphones, making the technology also available for tablets, laptops, IoT terminals and vehicles. In the meantime Garmin has already announced its interest in the initiative presented by Qualcomm and Iridium to expand the emergency signaling service that it already makes available through its wearables.

Apple’s precedent

Apple had presented its service of Emergency SOS based on satellite connection over the launch of the iPhone 14 last September. As explained by the companyin this way people who are in a point without a cellular connection, let alone wifi, they can contact the emergency services via the satellite network. As of the middle of last December the service is arrived in some European countries such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom, after an initial launch that had concerned only the United States and Canada. Among other possibilities there is also sharing your position via satellite through the Dov’è app.