SpaceX Taps Qualcomm To Take On Major Carriers With Starlink Mobile
SpaceX has selected Qualcomm to be its infrastructural partner for Starlink Mobile in a bid to accelerate the aerospace giant's aggressive push to become the fourth major U.S. wireless carrier, following AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. This multi-year agreement also happens to be Qualcomm’s largest 5G deal to date.
Under the partnership, Qualcomm will supply Dragonwing Cellular Infrastructure platforms including massive MIMO radio and baseband units, and software to power a massive, nationwide terrestrial 5G network. Deployment is scheduled to kick off in 2027, with SpaceX planning to roll out the equipment across tens of thousands of macro cell sites spanning the country.
Qualcomm is the key puzzle piece to completing SpaceX’s ground-based cellular plans (on top of its already dominant satellite constellation network). Starlink has already spent years building a direct-to-cell satellite ecosystem, though adding Qualcomm's silicon to its terrestrial base stations creates a true hybrid network.
Courting Qualcomm was...
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