The key facts

  • Qualcomm will supply Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms for Starlink base stations
  • Deployment of the terrestrial 5G network in the US will begin in 2027
  • Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed

SpaceX and Qualcomm agreement

SpaceX has selected Qualcomm Technologies as the supplier of equipment and software for a nationwide 5G network in the United States, which will complement Starlink Mobile's satellite coverage with ground-based base stations. The announcement was made by Qualcomm on Wednesday, November 4; the company did not disclose the financial terms of the multi-year agreement. According to the plan, deployment will begin in 2027, during which SpaceX will install tens of thousands of base stations.

Technical details

The base stations will run on Qualcomm Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms: the first handles radio functions, while the second processes signals that need to be transmitted and received with minimal latency. Each radio module will have 64 transmit paths and 64 receive paths. Qualcomm says this design will improve coverage and allow more traffic to pass through the same radio spectrum, while more energy-efficient processing will help keep costs down as new sites are added. The network will support multiple frequency bands and be deployed in stages.

Statements from the parties

Starlink Senior Vice President Michael Nicolls said that combining satellite and terrestrial networks will help users stay connected at home and on the move, and that the partnership with Qualcomm will accelerate the company's development of base stations.