MediaTek to unveil its own smartphone-to-satellite communications system this week

During MWC, MediaTek will present its own smartphone-to-satellite communication system, a very interesting solution, different from Apple and Qualcomm solutions.

MediaTek will showcase its new two-way communication technology between smartphone and satellite during this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) from February 27 to March 2. Some of the devices that will be used in this highly anticipated presentation are made by Motorola. The manufacturer will also release two satellite smartphones, the defy 2 and CAT S75, as well as a Bluetooth accessory equipped with a MediaTek chip supporting this technology.

MediaTek will present its own satellite communication system with a smartphone at MWC

The company’s answer to similar technologies from Qualcomm and Apple is a standalone chip that can be added to any 4G or 5G smartphone. This uses the 3GPP Extra Terrestrial Network (NTN) standard, rather than any proprietary technology such as Qualcomm and Apple, which means it can be used on any network that already supports this standard. MediaTek has partnered with Bullitt to take advantage of the Satellite Connect service and enable satellite messaging on both Motorola devices.

A very interesting solution, different from Apple and Qualcomm solutions.

Another difference to note is that MediaTek’s chips connect to satellites in geosynchronous equatorial orbit, not satellites in low Earth orbit. The manufacturer explains that its technology not only allows you to send emergency messages, as Apple’s solution allows, but also provides full two-way communication. This means that devices can receive messages sent over a satellite connection, and not just receive them. The iPhone 14, which introduced Apple’s satellite technology, still can’t receive messages without a regular cellular connection. Devices with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite solution will require a manual update to process incoming messages.

The Motorola Defy 2 smartphone and Defy Bluetooth accessory will be released in the second half of this year in North America, Latin America and Canada. They will be the first to get these satellite features from MediaTek.