In trouble somewhere remote with patchy cell coverage but able to see the sky? You can text for help
CES Satellite messaging via mobile phone appears to be the in-thing at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas, with the launch of two services from comms chipmaker Qualcomm and UK-based smartphone company Bullitt Group.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite offering is set to offer two-way messaging for smartphones based on its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and will use the Iridium satellite network when available sometime in the second half of 2023.
Meanwhile, Bullitt Satellite Connect is set to be commercially available in Q1 2023, according to the company, and will be initially supported in an upcoming Motorola Defy smartphone using connectivity provided by via Bullitt’s satellite partner Skylo.
Both services appear to be focused on providing a standard text messaging capability that can operate anywhere there is a view of the sky, particularly rural areas of the US with poor coverage from terrestrial cellular networks. Both mention the ability to alert the emergency services as a key capability of their platform.
The new services follow Apple’s introduction of satellite support for emergency calls last year. The iPhone 14 incorporates a new Emergency SOS feature that can use a satellite line when no cellular service is available.
