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Smartphones & mobile networksQualcomm to supply 5G infrastructure for SpaceX's Starlink Mobile network: tens of thousands of macro sites, deployment from 2027
According to Fierce Network, Reuters and The Verge, on Nov 4, 2026 Qualcomm announced that SpaceX has selected its Dragonwing Cellular Infrastructure platforms for Starlink Mobile's nationwide terrestrial 5G network in the United States. The multi-year agreement covers radio equipment, baseband processing and Layer 1 software for tens of thousands of macro cell sites, with deployment starting in 2027. Qualcomm supplies the Dragonwing QRU100 (radio) and QDU100 (digital unit) platforms and commercial-grade Layer 1 software; Durga Malladi, Qualcomm's executive vice president, said the company does not build the base-station boxes but provides the chips and software inside them, while SpaceX builds layers 2, 3 and above. According to Qualcomm, 64T64R Massive MIMO radios are being brought down to bands as low as 2 GHz, rather than the 3.5 GHz and above where they are usually deployed. Financial terms were not disclosed; Qualcomm called it “our biggest 5G deal yet” (per Reuters) and said on its fiscal Q4 2026 earnings call that the agreement starts contributing to revenue as it exits fiscal 2027, with fiscal 2028 more significant (per RCR Wireless). According to Reuters, SpaceX aims to build a major US carrier competing with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile by combining satellite connectivity with a terrestrial network, and Qualcomm already helps power 5G networks in Japan and Vietnam. The initial rollout focuses on terrestrial 5G, with an architecture designed to follow developments in connectivity and 6G.
Source: Fierce Network
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