Following Qualcomm and Samsung’s footsteps, MediaTek also plans to announce satellite connectivity in its chips and has announced support for 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) in its new chip — MT6825 — allowing two-way messaging via satellite connectivity.
The satellite connectivity feature will be available for smartphones, and the company plans to launch support for 5G New Radio NTN in the future.
Satellite connectivity fills the gap left by traditional networks. Whether you are in a remote location or hiking in the mountains, you are guaranteed to get satellite networks, unlike the traditional network, which face issues in such cases.
Bullitt will be the first company to use MediaTek’s new chips for satellite connectivity. Bullitt’s CAT S75 smartphones will be the first ones, followed by Motorola Defy 2, which will use MediaTek’s hardware. CAT S75 is available for booking today, while the Motorola Defy will launch in the second quarter.
Apart from focusing on the smartphone genre, MediaTek will also help Motorola Defy Satellite Link — a gadget that allows people to call, send or receive a text and send locations from their smartphones when cellular connectivity is unavailable. Motorola Defy Satellite Link will be available for purchase in Q2.
There has been great enthusiasm regarding satellite connectivity, with companies like Qualcomm and Samsung already entering the fray. As of now, smartphones are the prime markets for satellite connectivity, the technology can be extended beyond the tech world to various fields like agriculture, environment, forestry, logistics, automobile industry and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“If we look at the [connectivity] story across Europe, 85% [of the landmass] is covered, which is pretty high,” he said. “But in a lot of other markets, it’s closer to 80% or 75%, and then you go to the U.S., where 68% to 70% of the landmass is covered. Canada is only 30% and Australia’s about 30% too. So you can see there’s a proposition here in Europe, but also as you go further afield to the Americas, Australia, and places like that, the proposition only grows in terms of its potential.” Bullitt Group’s senior director Tim Shepherd told Digiral Trends.
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