While quite a few countries and carriers in the world are still coming to grips with 4G internet speeds, innovation waits for no one. Quite a few carriers and companies around the world have already set their sights on 5G but one in particular already has a timeframe hammered down. At the Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, the chip making company announced its very first 5G modem, the Snapdragon X50, which will support download speeds at up to 5 Gbps.
“With this announcement, 5G becomes more than just an ambitious collection of ideas about what the future of cellular systems should look like and what it will make possible. Qualcomm Technologies has led the conversation, and now we’re leading the way with the realization of actual 5G products.”
So when should we expect these new modems? During the first half of 2018. It’s a sensible timing as the new standard isn’t yet finalised but will be by next year. Furthermore, operators will need to test the devices — especially since it’s been trialling the 28 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band which is what the X50 will support initially (on top of 4G LTE).
However, it should be noted that Qualcomm looks at these modems as an experimental step, as they are designed towards early deployments. The device itself relies on multi-element antenna arrays. The antennas are designed to work together intelligently, using beamforming and beam tracking technologies, extending mmWave’s mobility and reach to non-line-of-sight scenarios. For example, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem can direct the energy of the mmWave beam, bouncing off obstacles to reach the mmWave 5G small cell with which it is communicating.
Furthermore, if you ever get out of range of the waves, your device will revert to LTE for continuous coverage.
“The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is designed to make this seamless mobility possible. It can be paired with a Snapdragon processor with an integrated Gigabit Class LTE modem. In addition to supporting LTE and mmWave, the complete 4G/5G multi-mode platform is designed to help provide dual-connectivity to both (so a mobile device can connect simultaneously over both generations of technology) to achieve seamless mobility between the two”
Source: Qualcomm
