SpaceX has selected Qualcomm Technologies’ cellular infrastructure platforms for its Starlink Mobile U.S. nationwide 5G network, inching the company closer to becoming a rival in the terrestrial telecommunications sector.
The Qualcomm deal suggests it will become a rival. SpaceX plans to begin rolling out the network nationwide in 2027, with tens of thousands of cell sites deployed over the multiyear agreement, according to Qualcomm.
The QRU100 will handle processing inside the network’s massive MIMO radio units, while the QDU100 will run latency-sensitive Layer 1 processing in the distributed units that sit between the radios and the core network.
Qualcomm said the platforms are designed to improve performance per watt across radio-unit and distributed-unit processing. This will allow for translating energy efficiency into improved network deployments, Qualcomm said.
SpaceX now a rival telecom?
When SpaceX grabbed the 50 MHz of nationwide spectrum from EchoStar, the company said it would use the spectrum for its next-generation direct-to-cell (D2C) constellation to provide broadband service to cell phones globally.
But that’s not all. It would allow SpaceX to become a cellular platform provider through Starlink Mobile. SpaceX said it has already developed texting capabilities to cell phones and video calling capabilities. It currently has more than 600 Starlink D2C satellites in orbit.
At the time, Verizon then-CEO Hans Vestberg said he expected SpaceX to be a complementary partner, not a rival, as the two companies have a collaboration that includes Verizon using Starlink for its satellite communications (SATCOM) features for its cellular service.
“We shouldn’t live in a time where phone calls are still dropping whether you’re at home or on-the-go,” said Michael Nicolls, senior vice president at Starlink. “Starlink is building the first fully integrated nationwide satellite and terrestrial network that will keep people connected no matter where they are.”
