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SpaceX has tapped Qualcomm Technologies, a U.S. chipmaker, to provide hardware and software for a U.S.-wide 5G network that will add ground-based cell sites to Starlink Mobile’s satellite coverage, Qualcomm announced Wednesday. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology, and cell sites are towers and antennas that connect phones to the network. Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite internet service.
SpaceX intends to start building out the network in 2027 and install tens of thousands of cell sites under the multiyear deal, Qualcomm said in a statement. The company did not reveal the financial terms.
Michael Nicolls, Starlink’s senior vice president, said linking the satellite and terrestrial networks would help users remain connected at home and while traveling. He added that working with Qualcomm would accelerate 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,” Nicolls said.
The base stations, the equipment at each cell site that communicates with phones, will run on Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 chip platforms. The QRU100 manages radio functions, while the QDU100 handles signals that require minimal delay in transmission or reception.
Each radio unit will have 64 transmit and 64 receive paths. Qualcomm said the design should extend coverage and let the network handle more traffic within the same radio spectrum, the airwaves used for wireless signals. The company also expects more energy-efficient processing to limit costs as SpaceX expands the network.
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The network will operate across several frequency bands and be rolled out in stages. Durga Malladi, an executive vice president at Qualcomm Technologies, said the 5G project could also provide a foundation for future 6G networks, the planned successor to 5G, built to use artificial intelligence.
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