Qualcomm Expands Industry’s First 5G Modem Family to Support 5G NR and Integrated Gigabit LTE Multimode for Premium Mobile Devices

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5G is getting closer

Today, Qualcomm announced that it is expanding its Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem family to support 5G New Radio (5G NR) multi-mode chipset solutions compliant with the 3GPP 5G NR global system.

The new modem supports operation in sub-6 GHz and multi-band mmWave spectrum, aiming to provide a unified 5G design for all major spectrum types and bands while addressing a wide range of use cases and deployment scenarios. The Snapdragon X50 5G modem series is designed for enhanced mobile broadband to deliver wider bandwidth and ultra-high speeds.

In addition, the modem solution is designed to support both non-standalone (NSA) operation (control signaling sent over LTE) and standalone (SA) operation (all control signaling and user data sent over 5G NR), and is designed to enable the next generation of premium mobile cellular terminals and assist operators in early 5G trials and deployments. Commercial products integrating 5G NR modems from the Snapdragon X50 series are expected to be available from 2019, supporting the first large-scale 5G NR trials and commercial network launches .

The new products in the Snapdragon X50 5G modem family are designed to support 2G/3G/4G/5G multi-mode functions on a single chip , providing strong mobile performance through simultaneous connections to 4G and 5G networks. The single-chip solution also integrates support for Qualcomm-led Gigabit LTE functions, which is a key pillar of the 5G mobile experience as a high-speed coverage network that coexists and cooperates with early 5G networks. This series of advanced multi-mode functions is designed to provide Gigabit connectivity, which is also a key requirement for the next generation of premium smartphones and mobile computing.

The expanded Snapdragon X50 5G modem family builds on the technology leadership of Qualcomm 5G NR prototype systems and joint testing and trials with leading network operators and network device manufacturers, as exemplified by the recently announced first 3GPP standard-based 5G NR connection using a Qualcomm sub-6GHz 5G NR prototype, which demonstrated some of the key technologies and system design principles in future 5G NR systems and specifications, such as scalable OFDM-based waveforms for wider bandwidth, reciprocity-based multi-user MIMO, advanced LDPC channel coding, adaptive independent TDD subframes, and a new flexible low-latency slot structure.

The Snapdragon X50 5G modem family builds on Qualcomm's long-standing leadership in developing, promoting, and driving 3GPP standardization of next-generation wireless technologies. Just as Qualcomm did with 3G, 4G, and Gigabit LTE, the company is working with leading network operators to ensure 3GPP 5G NR standardization and timely commercial deployment of 5G NR. The Snapdragon X50 5G family is designed to support 5G NR features , bringing connected consumer mobile broadband applications such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and connected cloud computing to a whole new level.

-- Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm

The first commercial products using the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem are expected to be available in 2019 .

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