Smartphones With Satellite Connectivity to Reach 46% of Global Shipments by 2030
- Driven by premium devices from OEMs such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Huawei, satellite connectivity will reach 46% of the smartphones shipped globally in 2030.
- Proprietary solutions will drive the market in the near term as 3GPP NTN faces challenges around ecosystem readiness.
- The lack of killer use cases is limiting the growth of the 3GPP Release 17-based satellite smartphone market. Release 19 will likely enable broader mid-tier adoption.
- North America leads in global adoption, driven by early investment from telecom operators, satellite operators and smartphone OEMs.
- Qualcomm leads among satellite Android chipset vendors, while MediaTek, Samsung, Google and HiSilicon are increasing competition and accelerating mass adoption.
Seoul, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Taipei, Tokyo – April 29, 2026
Satellite connectivity in smartphones is entering a critical growth phase, with NTN-capable devices projected to account for 46% of global smartphone shipments by 2030, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest Smartphone Satellite Connection Report. Proprietary solutions will drive the market in the near term as 3GPP NTN faces challenges around chipset readiness, operator certification and service maturity.
Apple was the first mainstream smartphone brand to offer satellite connectivity by partnering with Globalstar for the iPhone 14 in 2022. The recent acquisition of Globalstar by Amazon provides immediate scale and opens up a new revenue stream for Amazon around connectivity-as-a-service. Huawei was the second player to bring satellite connectivity to smartphones in 2023, and now more than 10 brands are offering it in smartphones.
Global Satellite Smartphone Shipment Share by Key OEMs, 2025
Source: Counterpoint Research Global Satellite Smartphone Shipment Tracker, April 2026
Commenting on the smartphone OEM dynamics, Principal Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Apple remains the leading smartphone OEM in terms of NTN-capable smartphone shipments, while Samsung leads the Android ecosystem. Similar to Apple, Huawei and Google follow the proprietary NTN approach. Other Android players, including Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, HONOR and vivo, have aligned with 3GPP NTN to enable broader scalability and interoperability.”
The satellite smartphone market is mostly driven by the premium segment, but the lack of killer use cases is limiting mass adoption. 3GPP Release 17-based use cases are limited to SOS and messaging. While 3GPP Release 18 will help further adoption across brands in the premium segment, mass adoption in the mid-price segment is expected only with Release 19.
Commenting on the satellite smartphone SoC market competitive landscape, Senior Analyst Shivani Parashar said, “Qualcomm has been at the forefront among Android chipset players in enabling satellite connectivity through its Snapdragon X80 and X85 modems, followed by Huawei, Google and Samsung. MediaTek is also advancing NTN integration through its MT6825 5G SoC. More participation from chipset players will increase competition while potentially helping scalability.”
The partnerships entered into by North American telecom players, such as T-Mobile with SpaceX, AT&T with AST Mobile and Rogers with SpaceX, along with Apple’s tie-up with Globalstar, have helped bring satellite connectivity to smartphones, making North America an early leader in the field. Though telecom operators in other regions, like Europe and China, are not rushing to offer satellite connectivity, satellite operators are increasing capacity to cater to the mass market.
Commenting on the satellite smartphone market outlook, Research Vice President Peter Richardson said, “Nearly one in two smartphones is expected to support satellite connectivity by 2030. Apple, Google and Samsung will lead in terms of overall penetration, but Android brands targeting the entry and mid-price segments will see less penetration. Satellite offerings by more Android players and telecom operators beyond developed markets will play a key role in accelerating global adoption.”
The satellite smartphone connectivity space is expected to create opportunities across the entire ecosystem, including smartphone OEMs, SoC vendors, component players, telecom operators and satellite operators. Beyond this, it will also unlock new service models and bundled offerings, where companies like Amazon could integrate satellite connectivity into platforms such as Amazon Prime to enhance the overall consumer experience. However, the pace of growth will depend on the collaboration of ecosystem players to solve issues such as design and cost constraints, limited use cases, regulatory complexities and network immaturity.
About Counterpoint Research
Counterpoint Research is a global market research firm specializing in products across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients – from smartphone OEMs to chipmakers and channel players to Big Tech – through our offices located in the world's major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers. Our analyst team, led by seasoned experts, engages with stakeholders across the enterprise – from the C-suite to professionals in strategy, analyst relations (AR), market intelligence (MI), business intelligence (BI), product and marketing – to deliver services spanning market data, industry thought leadership and consulting. Our core areas of coverage include AI, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks and Infrastructure, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables. Visit our Insights page to explore our publicly available market data, insights and thought leadership, and to understand our focus, meet our analysts and start a conversation.
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Author
Peter Richardson
Peter has 27 years experience in the mobile industry with extensive experience in market analysis and corporate development. Most recently Peter was Global Head of Market and Competitive Intelligence at Nokia. Here he headed a team responsible for analyzing and quantifying the industry. Prior to Nokia, Peter was an equity analyst at SoundView Technology Group. And before that he was VP and Chief Analyst of mobile and wireless research at Gartner. Peter’s early years in the industry were spent with NEC and Panasonic.
Soumen Mandal
Soumen is a Senior Analyst tracking IoT, Automotive and Telecommunication ecosystem at Counterpoint Research. He is interested in IoT applications, connections, components, electric vehicles, connected cars, autonomous vehicles, semiconductors, shared mobility, services and emerging technologies. He started his career as an Energy Analyst with Manikaran Power Ltd. He has experience working with DISCOMs and SLDCs in the Indian power and energy industry. He is currently based in Gurgaon. He holds an Electrical Engineering degree and an MBA in Marketing & Finance.
Shivani Parashar
Shivani is a market researcher with over 11 years of market research and consumer insights experience. She started her career with Northern Trust Corporation and has since worked with multiple other market research & consulting agencies in India. Shivani has worked across a wide variety of industries, including but not limited to, technology, automotive, and logistics. She has handled multiple end-to-end research project across industries & functions covering a wide variety of subjects. Within Counterpoint, she focuses on components, especially semiconductor foundries and chipsets. Shivani holds an MBA degree in Marketing and an Engineering Degree in Electronics & Instrumentation.