(Yicai Global) March 1 -- Chinese handset giants Xiaomi, Oppo Mobile Telecommunications, Vivo Communication Technology, and Honor have become some of the first partners of US chipmaker Qualcomm Technologies’ satellite communications technology business.

The four Chinese companies, US consumer electronics firm Motorola Mobility, and UK tech startup Nothing will work with Qualcomm to develop smartphones that can be equipped with Snapdragon Satellite, a satellite-based messaging solution for premium Android-powered handsets, the California-based chipmaker said at the World Mobile Congress 2023 in Barcelona on Feb. 27.

Qualcomm and Iridium, the global satellite phone company backed by Motorola, unveiled Snapdragon Satellite at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 held in Las Vegas at the beginning of this year. It is the world’s first satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution for smartphones that has achieved global coverage and also supports two-way emergency messages, short message service texts, and other messaging applications, according to Qualcomm.

Snapdragon Satellite will be available across all upcoming fifth-generation Modem-RF systems and the Snapdragon Mobile Platform from eight-tier to four-tier as the ecosystem matures, Qualcomm noted. More options for customer-friendly prices will be available in the future, the firm told Yicai Global.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies equipped the satellite communication function based on China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System in its Mate 50 series last September. US tech titan Apple also announced that its latest iPhone 14 series would support Emergency SOS via satellite.

Satellite communication is a rather costly function that cannot make huge profits for companies in the short run, Brady Wang, associate director of market research institute Counterpoint told Yicai Global. The business positioning of handset makers in the field aims mainly to showcase their innovation capability, he added.

Satellite communication via mobile phone is more a symbol than a useful function, said Guo Tianxiang, senior analyst at market intelligence provider IDC China. Companies in the field aim mainly to create the image of a high-end brand to differentiate themselves in the market, where product convergence is severe.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione