MWC: Samsung unveils a special solution for smartphone satellite communications

In the run-up to Mobile World Congress, Samsung has its own solution announce for satellite communications on smartphones. The company unveiled a special modem that allows phones to connect to satellites in locations where there is no cellular connection.

The company says it wants to integrate this technology into its Exynos chip, which is used in many Samsung smartphones, but not the current Galaxy S23 flagship.

Apple was the first major smartphone maker to include satellite connections in the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro. The company first made this technology available in the United States and Canada and later expanded it to France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Apple relies on the Globalstar satellite network.

The current generation of satellite communication technology only supports SMS and emergency calling. But Samsung claims that future versions of its technology will also be able to send photos and videos.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Qualcomm announced a partnership with Iridium to bring satellite communications to Android phones running Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.