MWC 2019: Qualcomm brings Snapdragon X55 5G multimode modem

Qualcomm Technologies announced the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, its second-generation 5G New Radio (NR) modem.
Qualcomm X55 5G modem
The chipset company said Snapdragon X55 is a 7-nanometer single-chip integrated 5G to 2G multimode modem.

The semiconductor company announced the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G Modem  in 2016 – paying the way for commercialization of 5G.

Qualcomm revealed that over 20 OEMs and more than 20 mobile operators have committed to launching 5G products and services based on the Snapdragon platform.

Snapdragon X55 5G modem supports 5G NR mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum bands with up to 7 gigabits per second (Gbps) download speeds and 3 Gbps upload speeds over 5G, and Category 22 LTE with up to 2.5 Gbps LTE download speeds.

Qualcomm, the number one 5G chipset company, is sampling Snapdragon X55 modem to its OEM customers. Snapdragon X55 will be available in commercial devices by late 2019. US-based Qualcomm will be looking for business from makers of smartphones, mobile hotspots, Always Connected PCs, laptops, tablets, fixed wireless access points, extended reality devices, and automotive applications.

The Snapdragon X55 5G modem is designed for global 5G rollouts with support for all major frequency bands.

It supports mmWave spectrum or sub-6 GHz spectrum, TDD and FDD modes of operations. The latest 5G modem from Qualcomm is capable of Standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G network deployments.

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.

“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,” said Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm.

The Snapdragon X55 5G modem pairs with the 5G mmWave antenna module (QTM525), a new single-chip 14nm RF transceiver for 5G sub-6 GHz and LTE, and sub-6 GHz RF front-end modules to deliver the next generation modem-to-antenna solution for all major spectrum bands.

Baburajan K