While Starlink continues to await its launch in India, Elon Musk is expanding the service in the United States. SpaceX is developing Starlink Mobile, a network that would combine terrestrial infrastructure and satellites to provide 5G connectivity across the country. The company has signed a multi-year agreement with Qualcomm to use its Dragonwing platforms for cellular infrastructure.
SpaceX and Qualcomm announced the partnership on Wednesday. Under the agreement, Qualcomm will provide radio equipment, baseband units and software for the network. While the financial details remain undisclosed, Qualcomm described the deal as its “biggest 5G deal yet.”
SpaceX chief Elon Musk claimed that Starlink Mobile would deliver reliable coverage throughout the US. In a post on X, he said, “At last there will be one network with good signal everywhere!”
What is Starlink Mobile?
Starlink already operates in the US, but its satellite-based internet service is primarily suited to regions with low population density. Starlink Mobile aims to go further by combining the existing satellite network with terrestrial infrastructure to provide connectivity to smartphone users across the country. It would also become the first fully integrated network of its kind in the US.
As part of the agreement, Qualcomm will provide its Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms, along with commercial-grade Layer 1 software to SpaceX. Both companies described the partnership as a commercial milestone in their vision of developing AI-native 6G infrastructure.
The network will rely on Massive MIMO radio units featuring 64 transmit and 64 receive paths. The technology uses multiple antennas to transmit and receive signals simultaneously, helping improve network coverage, capacity and spectrum efficiency.
Starlink Mobile could position Musk and SpaceX as competitors to established US telecom operators. Musk had first proposed launching a Starlink mobile service in August this year. The announcement had reportedly caused shares of major US carriers, including T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, to decline by as much as 4 per cent.
However, the service is still some time away from becoming operational. SpaceX plans to begin deployment in 2027, with tens of thousands of sites expected to be installed over several years. The company has not yet disclosed the expected pricing of its mobile service.
Starlink faces global scrutiny
The partnership comes amid growing scrutiny of Starlink in several countries.
In India, Musk had accused certain “oligarchs” of obstructing regulatory approvals for Starlink's entry into the market. His allegations triggered a controversy online, with the Ministry of Communications subsequently describing the claims as “baseless and misconceived.”
Last month, Ukraine also accused SpaceX of slowing down Starshield, the military-oriented version of Starlink, claiming that the move had disrupted its military operations against Russia.
Musk initially suggested that the White House might have been responsible for the slowdown. However, reports later indicated that the SpaceX chief himself had issued the order.
