Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, which is the company’s second-generation 5G New Radio (NR) modem. The Snapdragon X55 is a 7-nanometer single-chip integrated 5G to a 2G multimode modem that supports 5G NR mmWave and sub-6GHz spectrum bands with up to 7Gbps download speeds and 3Gbps upload speeds over 5G, and Category 22 LTE with up to 2.5 Gbps LTE download speeds.
The Snapdragon X55 5G modem is designed for global 5G roll out with support for all major frequency bands. The Snapdragon X55 modem is engineered to support dynamic spectrum sharing between 4G and 5G, enabling operators to accelerate 5G deployments by using their existing 4G spectrum holdings to deliver both 4G & 5G services dynamically. It also supports high-power fixed wireless access (FWA) services and equipment.
Snapdragon X55 includes the baseband, RF IC, and complete RF front-end for mmWave and sub-6 GHz. The Snapdragon X55 5G modem pairs with the newly announced 5G mmWave antenna module QTM525 which is a new single-chip 14nm RF transceiver for 5G sub-6 GHz and LTE, and sub-6 GHz RF front-end modules. it supports 100 MHz envelope tracking technology, and adaptive antenna tuning for 5G sub-6 GHz, designed for power-efficient connectivity for the next generation of smartphones and mobile devices.
The Snapdragon X55 is currently sampling to companies and expected to be commercially available by late 2019.
QTM525 RF front-end (RFFE) solutions for 5G multi-mode mobile devices
Qualcomm also introduced new RFFE solutions that include the Qualcomm QTM525 5G mmWave antenna module, which builds on Qualcomm Technologies’ first mmWave antenna module by reducing the height of the module to support 5G smartphone designs sleeker than 8 millimeters thick even though it is longer. It adds support for band n258 (24.25 – 27.5 GHz) for North America, Europe and Australia on top of bands n257 (26.5 – 29.5 GHz), n260 (37 – 40 GHz) and n261 (27.5 – 28.35 GHz) already supported by its predecessors.
It also introduced world’s first announced 5G 100MHz envelope tracking solution, QET6100, as well as a family of integrated 5G/4G power amplifier (PA) and diversity modules, and the QAT3555 5G adaptive antenna tuning solution. These are expected to sample to OEMs in the first half of 2019 and be featured in commercial devices launching in late 2019.
Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated said:
Qualcomm Technologies is spearheading the first wave of 5G launches with our first generation 5G mobile platform. With significant evolution in capabilities and performance, our second generation commercial 5G modem is a true testament to the maturity and leadership of our 5G technology. We expect our 5G platform to accelerate 5G commercial momentum and power virtually all 5G launches in 2019 while significantly expanding the global 5G rollout footprint.