Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced that SpaceX has selected Qualcomm Dragonwing™ Cellular Infrastructure platforms for its Starlink Mobile 5G network. The terrestrial network will cover the entire United States. The Qualcomm Dragonwing™ QRU100 and QDU100 platforms will power it, along with commercial-grade Layer 1 software. As a result, the network will combine high-capacity Massive MIMO radio and baseband technology with power-efficient processing. This setup will support cellular base station deployment at scale.
Moreover, the collaboration marks a commercial step toward the broader vision SpaceX and Qualcomm Technologies share for AI-native 6G infrastructure.
Qualcomm will supply its Dragonwing Cellular Infrastructure platforms for Starlink Mobile’s terrestrial base stations. These platforms will enable high-capacity coverage across the U.S. Additionally, SpaceX plans to begin the nationwide rollout in 2027. Under the multi-year agreement, the company will deploy tens of thousands of sites.
“Building a nationwide network demands high performance and power efficiency at every site. Dragonwing Cellular Infrastructure platforms bring together advanced Massive MIMO, purpose-built processing and commercial-grade Layer 1 software to help Starlink deliver an exceptional nationwide network,” said Durga Malladi, EVP & GM, Technology Planning, Edge Solutions, and Data Center, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Together with SpaceX, we are building world-leading cellular infrastructure in the United States, advancing 5G today, with an opportunity to lay the foundation for AI-native 6G in the years ahead.”
Similarly, Starlink leadership stressed the need for reliable connectivity. “We shouldn’t live in a time where phone calls are still dropping whether you’re at home or on-the-go. Starlink is building the first fully-integrated nationwide satellite and terrestrial network that will keep people connected no matter where they are. We’re excited to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies and leverage their industry expertise and platform to accelerate our timeline to develop our base station end-to-end architecture,” said Michael Nicolls, Senior Vice President of Starlink.
High-Capacity 5G Built for Scale
Starlink Mobile will use Massive MIMO radio units with 64 transmit and 64 receive paths (64T64R). Therefore, the terrestrial network gains advanced antenna capabilities. This architecture aims to improve coverage, capacity and spectral efficiency. In turn, the network can serve more traffic efficiently.
The Dragonwing QRU100 platform offers highly integrated processing for Massive MIMO radio units. It supports the radio functions behind the 64T64R architecture. Meanwhile, the Dragonwing QDU100 platform delivers high-performance, efficient, latency-sensitive Layer 1 processing. Together, the platforms aim to improve performance per watt across radio and distributed-unit processing. Consequently, that energy efficiency translates into better network deployment economics at scale.
A Strong Foundation for Network Evolution
Dragonwing-powered radio units and distributed unit building blocks will give Starlink a flexible foundation. This foundation supports a multi-band network deployed across multiple rollout waves. The deployment focuses on terrestrial 5G. Still, its energy-efficient processing and open, evolvable architecture create a base for future connectivity and intelligence. Ultimately, the Starlink Mobile 5G network could pave the way for AI-native 6G.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
