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Sep. 25, 2008

Qualcomm has inked a deal with SkyTerra’s Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and ICO Global Communications to efficiently integrate satellite communications into mass-market mobile handsets.

Qualcomm will integrate satellite and cellular communication technology by developing a new satellite protocol and including it in its firmware of select Qualcomm multimode baseband chips.

Qualcomm also plans to support the L-Band and S-Band frequencies, in which MSV and ICO operate, in a few selected RF processors it already offers.

In essence, the same mobile chipsets at the heart of wireless devices will let handset makers produce satellite-capable devices at comparable scale and cost.

Overall, satellite phones have long been around serving largely niche markets but have failed to achieve a large market following due to the high cost of handsets and airtime.

According to the participants in this agreement, this combined chip will allow satellite communications to achieve economies of scale that it has not previously been able to tap into in the past.

It also will enable hybrid services and lead to new uses of the mobile satellite bands.

The new chips are expected to be available in about eighteen months from now.

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Source: Qualcomm Inc.