SpaceX has chosen Qualcomm to supply its Dragonwing cellular infrastructure platforms for its Starlink Mobile US nationwide terrestrial 5G network.

The multi-year agreement will see Qualcomm provide SpaceX with its radio equipment, baseband units, and software.

Qualcomm said the equipment will be deployed from early next year, with tens of thousands of sites to be deployed over the multi-year agreement.

The deployment will support SpaceX's ambitions to compete with the established mobile carriers in the US, providing support for Starlink's terrestrial base stations.

This will see Starlink use Qualcomm's Massive MIMO radio units as the network will combine high-capacity Massive MIMO radio and baseband technology and power-efficient processing to support cellular base station deployment at scale.

“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.”

As part of the agreement announced today (November 4), Starlink Mobile will use Massive MIMO radio units with 64 transmit and 64 receive paths (64T64R), which Qualcomm notes will bring "advanced antenna capabilities to its terrestrial network." This architecture is designed to improve coverage, capacity and spectral efficiency, helping the network serve more traffic efficiently. 

Qualcomm is better known for its capabilities around chipsets, though the agreement bolsters its position in the telecoms infrastructure market.

The company has notably supported Vietnamese carrier Viettel's 5G launch and also with a number of Japanese mobile operators.

The deal for SpaceX comes at a time when the company has publicly declared its intent to push AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in offering terrestrial mobile coverage, beyond its Starlink D2D offering.

SpaceX has actively held talks to gain access to 80,000 cell sites across the US to support the company's ambitions to offer carrier services, with tower company Crown Castle identified as one of those infrastructure firms.

During SpaceX's own earnings call last month, CEO Elon Musk outlined the company's plans to build out a competitive carrier network.