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Starlink Mobile finally has an official rollout window
There’s encouraging news if you’d like to switch from your existing carrier.
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Eric Zeman / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- Starlink Mobile will start rolling out a nationwide cellular network in the US from 2027, Qualcomm and SpaceX announced.
- The nascent carrier will also use Qualcomm’s DragonWing cellular platforms to enable a 5G network with massive MIMO capabilities.
- This news follows reports that SpaceX was in talks to buy Boost Mobile.
We’ve known for a while now that Starlink Mobile was coming, taking on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The company has acquired spectrum and is apparently in talks to acquire Boost Mobile. Now, we’ve finally got a rollout window for the new carrier.
Qualcomm and SpaceX have announced that Starlink Mobile will start deploying its network across the US from next year:
SpaceX plans for US nationwide deployment rollout to begin in 2027, with tens of thousands of sites deployed over the multi-year agreement.
It’s unclear whether consumer offerings will also be available in 2027. Nevertheless, this is major news for the US as it should inject some much-needed competition into the market.
Would you switch to Starlink Mobile?
Qualcomm and SpaceX also confirmed that Starlink Mobile will use Qualcomm’s DragonWing QRU100 and QDU100 cellular infrastructure platforms. This will enable a terrestrial 5G network with massive MIMO (64T64R) capabilities. The US chipmaker also noted that this infrastructure “establishes a foundation for future connectivity and intelligence,” ostensibly hinting at 6G.
“We shouldn’t live in a time where phone calls are still dropping whether you’re at home or on-the-go. Starlink is building the first fully-integrated nationwide satellite and terrestrial network that will keep people connected no matter where they are,” Starlink executive Michael Nicolls was quoted as saying.
“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.”
