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Qualcomm delivers 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz RF modules to industry

Qualcomm is working hard to bring the best experience possible for 5G in a timely fashion and is delivering in areas once thought to be impossible.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
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Image: Qualcomm

5G is coming and with Qualcomm's help it will be coming faster and with more features than originally anticipated.

Qualcomm announced the world's first fully-integrated 5G NR millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-6 GHz modules for smartphones and other mobile devices. These two modules pair with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem on mobile devices.

Qualcomm was able to create the QTM052 mmWave antenna modules and enable smartphone manufacturers to place up to four of these in the side bezels of phones. They support beam forming so that while a hand may block one, others pick up the signal so that a consistent high level of wireless performance is provided.

Cristiano Amon, President, Qualcomm Incorporated, stated:

Today's announcement of the first commercial 5G NR mmWave antenna modules and sub-6 GHz RF modules for smartphones and other mobile devices represents a major milestone for the mobile industry. Qualcomm Technologies' early investment in 5G has allowed us to deliver to the industry a working mobile mmWave solution that was previously thought unattainable, as well as a fully-integrated sub-6 GHz RF solution. Now, these type of modem-to-antenna solutions, spanning both mmWave and sub-6 spectrum bands, make mobile 5G networks and devices, especially smartphones, ready for large scale commercialization. With 5G, consumers can expect gigabit-class Internet speeds with unprecedented responsiveness in the palm of their hands, which stand to revolutionize the mobile experience.

The mmWave antenna module supports advanced beam forming, beam steering, and beam tracking technologies. They also feature an integrated 5G NR radio transceiver, power management IC, RF front-end components, and phased antenna array. The X50 modem provides the brain and braun to control the modules and ensure their performance. These modules are shipping to manufacturers this week so expect to see them in phones in the first half of 2019.

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