Qualcomm and Iridium Terminate Satellite Communication Project for Smartphones
Qualcomm and Iridium Terminate Satellite Communication Project for Smartphones, No Manufacturers Adopt
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Qualcomm and Iridium Terminate Satellite Communication Project for Smartphones, No Manufacturers Adopt
On November 10th, semiconductor giant Qualcomm and satellite communication company Iridium announced the termination of their satellite phone collaboration project.
Iridium had previously indicated that Qualcomm had agreed to enable satellite information and emergency services on smartphones powered by the Snapdragon Mobile Platforms utilizing the Iridium satellite network.
However, smartphone manufacturers did not incorporate this technology into their devices. On November 3rd, Qualcomm notified Iridium of its decision to terminate the agreement, effective from December 3rd.
Qualcomm did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Presently, major carriers are pursuing untapped markets by directly linking unmodified smartphones to satellites. Many smartphone manufacturers, service providers, and satellite companies have collaborated on projects involving Apple, Iridium, SpaceX, AT&T, T-Mobile, AST SpaceMobile, and others.
Apple is heavily investing in providing “Satellite Emergency SOS” services, which have been introduced in the iPhone 14 models.
In its press release, Iridium highlighted that terminating the agreement with Qualcomm enables them to collaborate with other companies engaged in satellite cellular projects. The company also stated that the termination of the agreement would not impact its financial expectations for the full year of 2023.
Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium, mentioned in a statement, “While I am disappointed that this collaboration did not yield immediate results, we believe that integrating satellite connectivity into consumer devices is the clear direction for this industry.”
On Thursday in the U.S., Iridium’s stock closed at $37.14 per share. Following the aforementioned news, the stock dropped over 8% in after-hours trading.
