SpaceX teams up with Qualcomm to bring Starlink Mobile coverage to the ground

SpaceX has selected Qualcomm Technologies to supply equipment and software for a nationwide US 5G network that will extend Starlink Mobile's satellite coverage with ground-based cell sites, Qualcomm said Wednesday.

SpaceX plans to begin the rollout in 2027 and deploy tens of thousands of cell sites during the course of the multiyear agreement, Qualcomm said in a statement. It did not disclose financial terms.

Michael Nicolls, senior vice president of Starlink, said combining the satellite and ground networks would help users stay connected at home and on the move. He said working with Qualcomm would speed up the development of Starlink's base stations.

"Starlink is building the first fully-integrated nationwide satellite and terrestrial network that will keep people connected no matter where they are," said Nicolls.

The base stations will use Qualcomm's Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms. The first handles radio functions, while the second processes signals that must be transmitted or received with minimal delay.

Each radio unit will have 64 transmit paths and 64 receive paths. Qualcomm said the design would improve coverage and allow the network to carry more traffic over the same amount of radio spectrum. It also expects more energy-efficient processing to help keep costs down as SpaceX adds sites.

The network will support multiple frequency bands and be deployed in phases. Durga Malladi, an executive vice president at Qualcomm Technologies, said the 5G project could also lay the groundwork for future 6G networks designed to use artificial intelligence.