Understand the impact of satellite communication on the mobile market and how companies will benefit from operations with corporate devices

Long awaited by the mobile phone industry, satellite communication promises to hit the market soon to establish internet connections not possible via cable, fiber optics, and other devices.

With speeds lower than those offered by cabled options, satellite internet serves mainly rural and remote regions of Brazil, which have joint infrastructure development.

Currently, only a few smartphone models support satellite connectivity. However, Google has announced that by the end of the year, the Android system of some devices will be able to send and receive text messages, such as alerts for emergency services, even in areas without cellular coverage.

Read on to learn how the Internet from space works, how the Android system seeks more global connectivity, and how Pulsus, Latin America’s first and only mobile device management solution to win Google’s Android Enterprise Recommended seal in the EMM category, can be an ally in innovation for your business to take off.

How does the Internet from space work?

In short, this type of connection works with radio waves that communicate with satellites orbiting the Earth. First, data is sent and returned – through a communication network that starts at the devices connected to the Internet (such as a cell phone or tablet) and through the modem, and an antenna reaches the satellite in space. Then the information returns to ground stations and follows the path until it is delivered to the user.

As the antenna is the component responsible for transmitting the data to the satellite in orbit and receiving information, specific weather conditions, such as intense storms, can cause interference.

For this reason, the antenna must be positioned in a specific location to communicate with the satellite in space, limiting the range of use of the network. In addition, although data is transmitted at a very high speed, this distance translates into latency.

In routine operations, such as accessing banking services and streaming music and movies, latency has little effect on the user experience. Still, it is evident in critical functions of

front-line workers, in delivery services, of a carrier, for example. The companies behind the new constellations propose to solve this problem by launching their satellites into lower and closer orbits to the Earth.

Android system seeks even more global connectivity

Satellite communication on Android will be possible thanks to a partnership between Qualcomm and Iridium, creating a solution called Snapdragon Satellite.

It will be available on smartphones powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform. The first smartphones with satellite communication enabled will be high-end models that will hit the market in the second half of 2023.

Devices equipped with such a Qualcomm chipset will be able to connect to Iridium’s constellation of low-orbit satellites via the L-band, with global coverage. It estimates that 85% of the Earth’s surface does not have cellular coverage today.

In addition to smartphones, the Snapdragon Satellite can serve any other devices equipped with Qualcomm’s chipset. The solution will also work with 5G non-terrestrial networks (5G NTN) once these become operational.

Currently, Apple has included satellite communication for emergency services in the iPhone 14, in partnership with Globalstar, but with operation initially limited to users in the US and Canada.

Pulsus as an innovation ally for your business to take off

With the most robust and intuitive mobile device manager on the market, Pulsus offers many benefits to companies looking for efficient software for managing tablets and cell phones in the workplace.

Through a series of features that overcome the main challenges of corporate mobility, Pulsus helps with signal coverage problems that affect connectivity.

After all, for companies that work with mobile devices in their critical operation, it is unthinkable to be without the Internet or an unstable network when updating work information.

Moreover, with the Pulsus platform APIs, it is possible to cross-reference location, operator, and signal level information, identifying potential coverage problems in the areas where the company operates.

Contact one of our specialized consultants and get to know the tool redefining mobility’s high performance worldwide.