Puzzle pieces for the 5G era

Qualcomm announced its 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) antenna for 5G communications on July 23rd (local time). The QTM052 is an antenna module that integrates the equipment required for 5G NR millimeter wave communication for the first time in the world, and QPM56xx which is a wireless communication module product which supports radio frequency below 6GHz. These products support Qualcomm’s already announced Snapdragon X50 5G modem, enabling high-speed communications via smartphones.

5G communications support 10 Gigabits per second and 10 Gbps of fast communications. However, it was not easy to put a device like this on a small body like a smart phone. Qualcomm announced today that it is a 5G device that has been miniaturized to fit into a smartphone.

The Snapdragon X50, which supports the family of products announced today, is a 5G-capable modem announced by Qualcomm in 2016. The product supports an initial 5G network with a 5G modem. The downside is the ability to use the 800MHz band in the 28GHz millimeter wave band supporting up to 5Gbps. 5G networks using millimeter waves are actually susceptible to obstacles. For this reason, millimeter wave communications have been known to be limited to fixed devices. The Snapdragon X50 is a mobile concept with millimeter wave and allows beamforming and tracking technology to be embedded in mobile products such as smartphones. It is easy to use with 4G support processors supported by another Snapdragon series, so it is possible to seamlessly support 4G and 5G.

The QTM052 is an integrated chip that integrates four millimeter wave antennas supporting beamforming, beam steering, and beam tracking to control radio directivity, a transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a power amplifier and a filter for improving communication quality.

In fact, beamforming technology is essential for 5G communication. It is a technology that combines several antennas to control high-quality communication by controlling the direction of propagation. However, integrating all these factors into the miniaturization and smartphone has been a challenge until now. This device using millimeter wave propagation is mainly used for short-distance high-speed communication. The frequency bands are 26.5 to 29.5 GHz, 27.5 to 38.35 GHz, and 37 to 40 GHz.

The QPM56xx is a family of wireless communication modules that cover sub-6GHz bands, which are not as fast as millimeter waves, but allow for stable communications. It covers 3.3 to 4.2 GHz, 3.3 to 3.8 GHz, and 4.4 to 5 GHz frequency bands and supports more stable communications than strictly directional millimeter waves.

The communication speed of 5G NR is expected to reach the theoretical maximum 5Gbps and the effective value 1 ~ 1.5Gbps. In comparison with existing 4G, it is possible to communicate much faster than the 4G effective value of 75 ~ 100Mbps.

In this regard, Qualcomm emphasizes that the product family announced is a notable milestone in the mobile industry. And if 5G is realized, consumers will be able to use gigabit-class Internet speeds with one handheld device. In this regard, it is hoped that this product will revolutionize the mobile environment.

Qualcomm has already begun sample shipments in July for its product line, and actual 5G service is expected to start next year.

In Korea, 3 major mobile telecom companies are targeting commercialization of 5G next March. In fact, if you look at the technologies and components used in smartphones, like Qualcomm, you might be able to gauge at what point in time these products will spill. The important thing is that the 5G age is likely to open any way.