At the beginning of this year, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon Satellite, a solution for messaging via satellites. This innovative technology is in collaboration with Iridium, the company that owns a global low Earth orbit satellite constellation.
Less than a year later, Iridium announced the termination of their partnership. Qualcomm took the initiative to terminate the agreement, with the effective date being December 3, 2023.
By ending the contract with Qualcomm, Iridium now has the opportunity to sign contracts with other smartphone chip manufacturers. This will enable the company to explore new partnerships in the future.
On the other hand, Qualcomm shared with CNBC that they aim to adopt a standards-based satellite communication approach, rather than relying on Iridium’s proprietary protocol.
In conclusion, the introduction of Snapdragon Satellite by Qualcomm in collaboration with Iridium marks a significant milestone in satellite messaging technology. However, the termination of their partnership opens up new possibilities for Iridium while Qualcomm seeks a more standardized communication protocol.
TL;DR: Qualcomm and Iridium’s collaboration on Snapdragon Satellite, a satellite messaging solution, has ended. Iridium can now explore partnerships with other smartphone chip manufacturers, while Qualcomm aims to adopt a standards-based satellite communication approach.
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