Iridium Expects Direct-to-Device Activations Next Year

Activations of the Iridium-enabled Android emergency messaging service via Qualcomm's Snapdragon Satellite platform likely won't come until 2024, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Tuesday as the company announced its Q2 earnings. The Iridium service has done its qualification work with Qualcomm, but there's integration work to be done by smartphone makers, he said. The Iridium service will start with emergency SOS service, then expand to real-time messaging, and the Apple/Globalstar service likely will do the same, he said. He said the company sees notable opportunities in L-band services such as connectivity services for small aircraft, helicopters and drones.