Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite seemingly dead on arrival as Iridium walks away

Qualcomm's confidence in satellite messaging as the next must-have smartphone feature has just taken a huge hit, as it has lost a key partner in supplying this new kind of connectivity to mobile devices.

Following its success in helping Apple implement SOS via Satellite for iPhone using its X-series modems, Qualcomm had intended to bring a similar service to Android smartphones, one that might have allowed them to send messages worldwide independent of conventional mobile or wireless data services, via Iridium's global satellite network.

However, smartphone makers have apparently been much more reluctant to adopt it than Qualcomm predicted, prompting the dissolution of its agreement with Iridium. Mobile device OEMs would apparently prefer a more direct approach to satellite connectivity - like that offered by China Telecom in its native market.

OPPO has reportedly confirmed that it will indeed follow Huawei's lead in making its upcoming Find X7 series compatible with this system, while Honor has indicated that it is open to the same becoming just another way to communicate using a smartphone.

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