SpaceX Partners With Qualcomm to Accelerate Wireless Ambitions — Update
By Connor Hart
SpaceX selected Qualcomm Technologies to provide cellular technology for Starlink, as the Elon Musk-led company looks to move its satellite service beyond broadband and into the wireless market.
Qualcomm will supply SpaceX with its Dragonwing Cellular Infrastructure platforms, supporting Starlink's ground-based cellular base stations and enabling high-capacity 5G coverage across the U.S., the companies said Wednesday.
Exact terms of the multi-year agreement weren't disclosed. The collaboration marks a step toward SpaceX's broader ambition of building a nationwide wireless network that integrates traditional cellular infrastructure with its satellite constellation.
Michael Nicolls, senior vice president of Starlink, said the partnership will accelerate the company's development of its cellular base station architecture.
Qualcomm's technology will support the radio and signal-processing functions of Starlink's ground-based network, helping improve coverage, as well as increase capacity and efficiency.
While the deployment is focused on ground-based 5G coverage, the companies said the technology could also lay the groundwork for future sixth-generation wireless infrastructure that incorporates artificial intelligence.
SpaceX intends to deploy the network in multiple phases beginning next year.
The collaboration comes after SpaceX reached a deal last month to buy cellular spectrum licenses from investment firm Grain Management, paying about $8 billion in cash for the assets.
The U.S. licenses, which are in the 800-megahertz band, are tailored for wireless service from cellphone towers rather than satellites. The spectrum could serve SpaceX's stated ambition of moving its Starlink satellite service beyond broadband into the wireless market to compete with the likes of AT&T and Verizon.
Shares of SpaceX fell 6.7%, to $131.90, in premarket trading. Qualcomm's stock ticked up 1.6%, to $167.13.
Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 04, 2026 09:30 ET (14:30 GMT)
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