Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), a multi-segment aerospace, connectivity, and artificial intelligence company, has selected Qualcomm Technologies Inc (Qualcomm), a global wireless computing and semiconductor company, for its Starlink Mobile nationwide terrestrial 5G network in the United States. Starlink Mobile plans to deploy 64T64R Massive MIMO radio units, featuring 64 transmit and 64 receive paths. The configuration is intended to increase coverage, network capacity and spectral efficiency.
According to a press release, the deployment will focus on terrestrial 5G with infrastructure designed to support a multi-band network rolled out in phases. Both companies also see the collaboration as a step toward their longer term plans for AI native 6G infrastructure.
“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.”
Michael Nicolls, Senior Vice President, Starlink, said, “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.”
The network will use Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms, alongside Layer 1 software, to support large scale base station deployments. The technology combines Massive MIMO radio equipment and baseband processing designed to improve network capacity and reduce power consumption.
The QRU100 platform will handle processing for the Massive MIMO radio units, while the QDU100 will manage Layer 1 processing for distributed units. The Qualcomm platforms are designed to improve processing efficiency and reduce power consumption across the network.