Qualcomm Signs Multi-Year Deal to Help SpaceX Build Nationwide 5G Network

Qualcomm just locked in a multi-year deal to help Elon Musk's SpaceX build a nationwide 5G cell network, according to a WatcherGuru post. The announcement tagged Qualcomm as $QCOM and SpaceX as $SPCX. No price tag, timeline or technical specifics came with it.

Qualcomm is best known for Snapdragon chips and the 5G modems packed into a huge share of the world's phones, which makes it a logical partner for anyone trying to stand up wireless infrastructure at national scale. Landing SpaceX hands the chipmaker a marquee name in the 5G race.

SpaceX is Musk's rocket and satellite company, the outfit behind Starlink. A nationwide terrestrial 5G network would be a different kind of build entirely from launching satellites, and the post carried a U.S. flag, pointing to a domestic rollout.

That's where the details run out. WatcherGuru gave no dollar figure, no completion date and no word on how the network would work alongside SpaceX's existing satellite business.

What's clear is the pairing: one of the biggest names in wireless chips tying up with one of the biggest names in space. Keep an eye out for the follow-up with actual numbers and a build schedule.