MediaTek is ready to fight for Qualcomm with satellite connections for Android
Apple started the journey, and soon satellite connectivity for smartphones will become the standard. Qualcomm has already announced its technology to support the feature, and now MediaTek is set to join the ranks this week.
MediaTek will showcase its capabilities at Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023) next week. Later this year, Android phones using the MediaTek chipset may offer this feature to consumers.
Satellite connection allows people to send messages from remote corners of the world where the network is not available. You can notify the authorities or the emergency center to help you. But while Apple has focused on one-way communication via satellite, Qualcomm and Samsung claim their satellite technology offers two-way communication.
MediaTek also plans to follow these giants and meet user needs in both directions. MediaTek brings 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) to its smartphone chipset. But the company has mentioned that it sees potential for this technology beyond smartphones and could be in cars as well.
MediaTek has confirmed that the Bullitt brand will launch the first MediaTek phone with satellite connectivity. In the coming months, other well-known names may join the list.
We already know that Android 14 supports satellite technology natively, making it easy for chip manufacturers to develop the feature into chips. Apple has used Globalstar to boost its satellite technology, which is available in the iPhone 14 series. Qualcomm announced its technology at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 (CES 2023) earlier this year.
It brings technology with Iridium Satellite Communications, which provides L-band spectrum low earth orbit (LEO) satellites for communications around the world. Phones equipped with this feature will be released in the second half of 2023. Most people using smartphones don’t feel the need for this feature, but it’s good to see that smartphone hardware is becoming efficient at managing satellite communications.
Read all the Latest Tech News here.
