Qualcomm in talks with cos like Starlink for satellite services on Android phones

Qualcomm Inc, the world’s biggest maker of smartphone chips, is in talks with top satellite companies, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, on changes required in smartphone chipsets and software elements to enable mobile satellite services on future Android devices.

The San Diego-based chipmaker is exploring the feasibility of potential technology solutions like narrow-band non-terrestrial networks (NTN) which could make it possible for mobile devices to talk to satellite systems and, in turn, offer fast wireless broadband connectivity to people outside the coverage area of terrestrial networks.

“A lot of activity is underway at Qualcomm on ways to reach people who are out of the terrestrial coverage area… we’re collaborating with companies like Starlink on potential solutions like narrow-band NTN, which is almost like doing 4G, but having it come from a satellite system instead of a 4G base station,” Chris Patrick, general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies Inc, told ET.

Qualcomm Technologies is the research and development arm of the US-based smartphone chipmaker. Patrick, though, said ringing in mobile satellite services via solutions like narrow-band NTN would require changes in a mobile phone’s chipset and software elements, even as the intent is to use satellite constellations and bind them closely with existing cellular infrastructure.

“That’s where developments are underway at Qualcomm to build in the wireless satellite service functionality into the next wave of Android devices… but there’s a lot of work that has to be done on the device, and the jury’s still out on how these systems will function in real life,” he said.

The comments come at a time when India is considering a recent proposal of broadband from space players such as Jio Satellite Communications (the satellite arm of Reliance Jio) and Bharti-backed OneWeb (which recently merged with France’s Eutelsat) to provide mobile satellite services via enabled mobile devices.

Both Jio Satellite Communications and OneWeb already hold GMPCS (global mobile personal communication by satellite services) licences while Starlink has applied for the permit from the government. While the GMPCS permit allows mobility services, the authorisation has been held in abeyance by the government since no device ecosystem exists and there’s been no live demonstration of mobile satellite services yet.

Patrick said the degree of changes required in a mobile device’s hardware and software elements would ultimately determine the future pricing of such handsets having the mobile satcom services functionality.

He added that since launching satellites and maintaining a global satellite system entails serious investments, whoever runs a satellite system would also have some business arrangement with end-users, which would also impact devices pricing and ecosystem development.