Qualcomm Releases First 5G Baseband Solution - Snapdragon X50

Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, announced that Qualcomm's Snapdragon X50 is the first company in the industry to commercialize 5G modem chipset solutions to support OEMs to create next-generation cellular terminals. And assist telecom operators to carry out initial 5G trials and deployment.

The Snapdragon X50 5G modem will initially support the operation of the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in the 28 GHz band. It will implement stable, continuous mobile broadband communications in a non-direct-view wireless transmission (NLOS) environment using Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology that supports adaptive beamforming and beam tracking. Assisted by the 800MHz band, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem is designed to support download speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second.

The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is designed for 4G/5G multimode mobile broadband and fixed wireless broadband terminals and can be paired with Qualcomm Snapgragon processors incorporating Gigabit LTE modems in a dual-connecTIvity manner Work together. Since Gigabit LTE can provide a wide-area coverage network for the initial 5G network, it is an important key to the 5G mobile experience.

ChrisTIano Amon, executive vice president and QCT president of Qualcomm Technologies, said: "As telecom operators and OEMs enter the testing phase of 5G cellular and terminal devices, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem also predicts the advent of the 5G era. With years of leadership in LTE and Wi-Fi, we are very excited to launch this product and play a key role in the practice of 5G terminal devices and networks. This means that while we are talking about 5G, it is also true. Committed to promoting the development of 5G."

Through the Snapdragon X50 5G modem, telecom operators deploying millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G networks can now work closely with QTI to conduct laboratory testing, field trials and initial network deployment plans.

In addition, OEMs using the Snapdragon X50 5G modem have the opportunity to begin optimizing their terminal devices to meet the specific challenges they may face when integrating millimeter-waves. The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is integrated into the terminal unit in a real 5G network environment, providing valuable experience for stereotyped terminal devices with emerging technologies. QTI will apply these experiences and discoveries to help accelerate the standardization and commercialization of 5G's global standard, 5G New Radio (NR).

For consumers, the enhanced mobile broadband supported by 5G will bring unprecedented immediacy to mobile users and cloud services, increasing media content consumption, improving media content output, and providing faster access to rich information. In addition, the rapid development of 5G technology will make multi-gigabit Internet services more cost-effective and simple to enter more homes and businesses.

The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is based on QTI's long-standing experience in providing industry-leading quadrature frequency division modulation (OFDM) chips and technology. As a leader in the industry, Qualcomm has successfully demonstrated OFDM, millimeter wave and massive MIMO chips and technologies in several generations of LTE technology and products and 802.11ad products.

The Snapdragon X50 5G platform will include a modem, SDR051 millimeter wave transceiver and a supporting PMX50 power management chip. The Snapdragon X50 5G modem is expected to begin sampling in the second half of 2017, and the first commercial products incorporating the Snapdragon X50 5G modem are expected to be available in the first half of 2018.