Qualcomm backs out of Iridium phone-to-satellite deal
Qualcomm said it didn’t find any smartphone makers interested in adding technology to their phones to connect to Iridium’s satellites.
According to CNBC, Qualcomm said in a statement that its smartphone customers have “indicated a preference towards standards-based solutions” for satellite-to-phone connections. Qualcomm’s customers include most of the world’s major smartphone makers.
“We expect to continue to collaborate with Iridium on standards-based solutions while discontinuing efforts on the proprietary solution that was introduced earlier this year,” Qualcomm said.
New proposals at the 3GPP would create official 5G standards for connecting phones to satellites.
Qualcomm and Iridium first announced their teaming in January. Subsequently smartphone companies including Honor, Motorola, Nothing, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi had expressed their interest in making phones that would leverage Qualcomm’s deal with Iridium.
A disappointment
For its part, Iridium said it would continue to pursue the space.
“While I’m disappointed that this partnership didn’t bear immediate fruit, we believe the direction of the industry is clear toward increased satellite connectivity in consumer devices,” said Iridium CEO Matt Desch in a statement from the company. “Led by Apple today, MNOs [mobile network operators] and device manufacturers still plan, over time, to provide their customers with expanded coverage and new satellite-based features, and our global coverage and regulatory certainty make us well suited to be a key player in this emerging market.”
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