TAMPA, Fla. — Updated chipset standards due for release late next year could enable mass-market smartphones to connect with Iridium’s satellites, the operator said Sept. 25 after getting permission to try to work in compatibility.
Iridium said the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the consortium that sets global communications standards for 5G, approved its request to advance space-based Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) connectivity as an official work item for Release 19.
The approval paves the way for trials and demonstrations showing how devices using industry-standard chips could use the operator’s network in low Earth orbit (LEO) for messaging and SOS services outside cellular coverage.
Iridium said it has already demonstrated this capability over its L-band satellite spectrum in a lab environment, after announcing its Project Stardust direct-to-device strategy in January.
Some manufacturers may want to produce integrated chips before the 3GPP’s next round of standards now that it is one of the formal items for inclusion in Release 17, Iridium spokesperson Jordan Hassin said via email.
Before pivoting to Project Stardust, Iridium had planned to deploy proprietary direct-to-device services for Android devices in partnership with chipmaker Qualcomm.
However, Qualcomm scrapped plans to make specialized chips for the constellation last year after failing to get manufacturers of smartphones and other devices onboard.
“We’re already well into our technology development, and we’re excited about our progress and to see so much enthusiasm from the 3GPP community,” Iridium chief technology officer Greg Pelton said in a statement.
“As a cloud-based service powered by the flexibility of our software-defined satellites and building upon recognized industry standards, we’ve been able to jump off to a super-fast start.”
The company said its next tests are scheduled for early next year for a service it is now calling Iridium NTN (non-terrestrial network) Direct.
Release 17 is slated to be finalized in the fourth quarter of 2025.
This fall, U.S. telco Verizon plans to launch space-enabled emergency text and location services for Android smartphones that can connect to geostationary L-band satellites via the latest standards-based chipsets.
Iridium says smartphones would need less power to connect to its satellites in LEO, compared with geostationary spacecraft operating much farther away from Earth and fixed above the equator.
Iridium’s mobile satellite services rival Globalstar has been using its L-band network to enable SOS services on Apple’s latest iPhones since 2022.
Meanwhile, SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile, and Lynk Global are developing LEO constellations that can reach smartphones already in circulation by using spectrum from cellular partners.
