SpaceX has selected Qualcomm to supply the technology powering the ground-based 5G network behind Starlink Mobile, its planned US mobile service. Qualcomm announced the agreement today, with a nationwide rollout expected to begin in 2027.
Over the course of the multi-year deal, SpaceX plans to deploy tens of thousands of sites across the US. Each will use Qualcomm’s Dragonwing platforms and software designed to handle some of the network’s most time-sensitive operations.
Two chips will handle most of the network’s essential technical work. First, the QRU100 will sit inside the radio units mounted on each site, while the QDU100 will process the signals behind them. Qualcomm says both are designed to deliver more performance while using less power, an important consideration for a network that will eventually span tens of thousands of locations.
The radios will also use Massive MIMO technology, with 64 transmit and 64 receive antenna paths. This allows them to direct signals towards multiple phones simultaneously, improving coverage and capacity while making more efficient use of available spectrum.
“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, Starlink’s senior vice president.
For SpaceX, that efficiency will matter as it builds a mobile network from the ground up. The company spent much of 2025 expanding its spectrum holdings, including through airwaves acquired from EchoStar. It now plans to deploy the network across several frequency bands in successive rollout phases.
“Building a nationwide network demands high performance and power efficiency at every site,” said Durga Malladi, executive vice president at Qualcomm Technologies.
Nicolls said SpaceX is working towards a single network that combines its satellites with terrestrial mobile towers. The Qualcomm partnership, he added, will help accelerate development of the base station design that SpaceX is building itself.
The agreement marks another step in SpaceX’s expansion into mobile services. Until now, its efforts have largely focused on satellite connectivity for ordinary smartphones, including text messaging through partners such as T-Mobile.
The new ground-based network gives the company a route towards operating a more conventional nationwide mobile service, alongside its satellite infrastructure.
Both companies are also positioning the technology as groundwork for AI-native 6G networks, although that remains a longer-term ambition rather than part of the initial 5G rollout.