Catenaa, Monday, October 20, 2025- Iridium Communications and Qualcomm are teaming up to integrate Iridium’s L-band satellite services into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MTR chipset, targeting military devices with strict size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) requirements.
The partnership aims to provide secure satellite connectivity for handheld and mounted radios, autonomous vehicles, and other devices in environments where terrestrial networks are limited or unavailable.
The Snapdragon MTR will support multiple Iridium services, including Short Burst Data (SBD) for low-latency messaging and telemetry, and Iridium Burst, enabling simultaneous broadcasts to unlimited approved devices.
Equipment using the Qualcomm-Iridium solution will qualify for the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) program, which offers protected access to satellite communications for authorized government users worldwide.
Qualcomm will also provide an M.2 modem module leveraging the Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System, allowing government partners to build custom satellite connectivity solutions.
Scott Scheimreif, Iridium’s EVP of Government Programs, said the collaboration places the companies at the forefront of next-generation communication architectures and provides scalable solutions for warfighters and coalition partners.
This new initiative follows an earlier Qualcomm-Iridium partnership announced in 2023 to deliver satellite-to-smartphone connectivity via Snapdragon Satellite, which was discontinued due to limited adoption by device manufacturers.
The current collaboration focuses on a more specialized military and government market, addressing the demand for reliable, secure, and globally accessible satellite communications in challenging operational environments.
