Qualcomm Technologies has introduced the Qualcomm Compact Macro 5G RAN Platform designed to fuel deployment growth of mmWave infrastructure.

A report from GSMA says mmWave spectrum complements low and mid-band spectrum in dense urban areas and provides fibre-like connectivity through 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies. The industry needs an average of 5 GHz of mmWave spectrum per market by 2030 to address demand for different 5G use cases, including eMBB, FWA and enterprise networks.

A GSA whitepaper says the utilization of mmWave in mobile has major technical challenges: mmWave signals travel relatively short distances compared to signals of lower-frequency bands; can be susceptible to attenuation from trees and other obstacles; and have difficulties in penetrating concrete building walls.

This platform leverages the Qualcomm FSM  5G RAN Platform for Small Cells, while featuring macro-grade antenna module support with 256 antenna elements, delivering up to 60dBm of peak EIRP and up to 1 GHz of spectrum.

The new Qualcomm Compact Macro 5G RAN Platform is expected to start sampling to customers in the first quarter of 2023.

The Qualcomm Compact Macro 5G RAN Platform is offering long-range performance enhancements for compact macro products that more than double the range capabilities, compared to small cells designed with the Qualcomm FSM 5G RAN Platform, significantly reducing the number of cell sites needed for wide area coverage.

Further, by evolving the Qualcomm FSM 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells, this compact macro solution is able to address common power efficiency, size, and cost complexities of comparable macro solutions, making deployments more accessible.

The solution is designed to facilitate up to 50 percent base station equipment cost reduction for a given coverage area, compared to similar high-power mmWave macro solutions.

Mobile network operators are able to deliver breakthrough wireless performance more cost-effectively than ever before for a new era of connected experiences by reducing the infrastructure cost of high-performance outdoor mmWave base stations.

Qualcomm Compact Macro 5G RAN Platform addresses critical KPIs, providing high-capacity wireless broadband access to urban, suburban, and rural homes as well as enterprises.

“This innovative solution will streamline deployments and accelerate mmWave adoption by providing the range, performance, energy efficiency, and form factor our partners need at an attractive price point,” Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies, said.