Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Qualcomm Targets Upcoming 5G Chip Platform at Smartphones in 2019

    Written by

    Jeffrey Burt
    Published August 23, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Qualcomm has begun sampling its upcoming mobile platform that will pair with the company’s Snapdragon X50 modem to give makers of smartphones and other mobile devices a connectivity foundation as they build 5G-capable offerings.

      The platform, which will include a system-on-a-chip (SoC) built through a 7-nanometer manufacturing process, is the latest move by the world’s top mobile chip maker in its efforts to gain an edge in a highly competitive market that includes Intel and others that based their products on the Arm architecture.

      It also will come as service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile continue to build out their 5G networks and as device makers start introducing 5G capable smartphones in 2019. Qualcomm officials indicate that more details about the platform will come out in the fourth quarter. It is being sampled with multiple OEMs that are developing next-generation consumer devices, they said.

      Momentum behind 5G continues to grow. It promises to bring significant gains in both speed—as much as 10 to 100 times that of 4G networks—and greatly expanded network capacity, which will be needed to handle the new devices and technologies coming in the next decade.

      That includes the tens of billions of intelligent connected devices that are expected by 2020. With the continued expansion of the internet of things (IoT), that number will only grow. In addition, 5G will help handle the changing nature of mobile traffic, which is becoming more video-centric.

      Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data analytics along with augmented and virtual reality as well as autonomous vehicles will also require the speed and capacity that 5G will bring.

      AT&T, Verizon and other service providers already are testing 5G networks in various cities around the world and plan to expand services toward the end of this year and through 2019. Device makers also are planning to bring premium smartphones onto the market next year.

      The ramp up of 5G-capable devices will start slow, but will gain momentum in the coming years. Gartner analysts expect that 5G phones will start appearing in 2019 as 5G networks roll out in such countries as the United States and South Korea. Gartner predicts that by 2021, 9 percent of smartphones sold will support 5G.

      Strategic Analytics forecasts that by 2021, 5 percent of all handsets sold will be 5G devices, but that as prices fall and the number of 5G networks expands, 5G handset sales will reach into the hundreds of millions by 2023.

      “5G smartphone sales will begin in China, Japan, South Korea and the USA from 2019,” Ville-Petteri Ukonaha, senior analyst with Strategic Analysts, said in a statement. “But volumes in 2019 will be in just the millions, and only barely in the tens of millions in 2020.”

      Qualcomm continues to invest in its 5G efforts. During a conference call in July, CEO Steve Mollenkopf told journalists and analyst that the company over the past two years has grown its R&D budget around 5G. During the same call, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon said the momentum behind 5G is strong.

      “We’re very happy with what we’ve seen in 5G right now,” Amon said, according to a transcript on Seeking Alpha. “5G is accelerating. I think we said there are a large number of operators, and I can say that all of our Snapdragon 800 OEMs today are planning to launch a 5G device smartphone in 2019. I think that positions us well. It’s early ramp of a technology, but while we have seen revenue generations, I think if we are in a good leadership position as the market moves, it could be a significant event in the later part of 2019 and 2020.”

      In February, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 5G Module solutions, which with their modular designs are aimed at helping device makers more quickly commercialize 5G in their products. The solutions put more than 1,000 5G components into a few modules. In July, the company announced its new QTM502 mmWave 5G antenna modules for smartphones. The company is putting together its X50 5G modem with up to four antenna modules in each smartphone.

      Qualcomm’s 5G innovations also were a key driver in Broadcom’s months-long hostile $117 billion takeover bid for Qualcomm over the winter. Development of 5G technology also was the primary focus of U.S. regulators and lawmakers as they reviewed Broadcom’s bid, which Qualcomm officials fiercely opposed.

      Eventually, the Trump administration spiked the proposed deal through a presidential order, saying it was not in the country’s best interest. The concern was that if Broadcom—which was based in Singapore, but is working to move its headquarters to Silicon Valley—was to acquire Qualcomm, it would give China an edge over the United States in the 5G race.

      Jeffrey Burt
      Jeffrey Burt

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×