Iridium and Qualcomm join forces to enable satellite connectivity in Snapdragon Mission Tactical Radio

Iridium Communications Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI) have successfully integrated Iridium^® data services into the Snapdragon^® Mission Tactical Radio (MTR) and intend to make these services available for adoption and use by U.S. government customers and approved allied partners.

By integrating Iridium data services, Snapdragon MTR-equipped devices, ranging from handheld and mounted radios to autonomous vehicles, stand to benefit from flexible, highly reliable, and secure L-band satellite communications in environments where terrestrial networks are congested, compromised, or unavailable.

To meet diverse mission needs, the Snapdragon MTR can integrate multiple Iridium services into a single chipset: Short Burst Data^® (SBD^®), for proven low-latency messaging and telemetry, and Iridium Burst^®, for receipt of simultaneous broadcasts to an unlimited number of enabled devices. The Iridium waveform, coupled with QTI's leadership in commercial wireless capabilities such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS, will enable powerful global connectivity in devices with strict size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) requirements.

Iridium Executive Vice President of Government Programs Scott Scheimreif said, "The Snapdragon MTR positions Iridium and QTI at the forefront of next-generation communications architectures while equipping warfighters and coalition partners with scalable solutions."

QTI-powered devices with integrated Iridium data services, which will be eligible for activation through the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) program, are expected to be available following finalization of commercial arrangements among QTI, Iridium and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Iridium EMSS connectivity provides trusted and protected access to satellite communications for an unlimited number of approved government users. This latest innovation marks another advancement in Iridium's commitment to the EMSS program, a longstanding partnership that delivers truly global standard and secure voice, broadcast, push-to-talk (PTT), and other services to approved government subscribers anywhere on Earth.

Iridium and QTI are working to make Iridium data services available via the Snapdragon^® X75 5G Modem-RF System in the form of an M.2 modem module for government partners who wish to create unique satellite connectivity solutions.