5G is on track to replace "blockchain" as the peak inbox-filtering marketing buzzword of 2019. But before all these Gs at CES drive you into too much overload, we've got a few more related announcements to discuss, like the fact that Qualcomm expects to see "more than 30 commercial 5G mobile devices" land using company's hardware this year, and that the majority of them will be phones.
The phones are expected to use the company's Snapdragon 855 SoC, harnessing that extra odd G thanks to its X50 modem. We already knew at least 18 OEMs were on board to use Qualcomm's G-enhancing silicon, but the number of phones — vague as "more than 15" ends up being — points to a less tentative approach from manufacturers than we've seen before.
This sounds like a lot more smartphone hardware than we saw when 4G LTE started landing back in 2011. This aggressive push to 5G could be an attempt from both carriers and OEMs (which each profit from phone sales) to counter the slowing smartphone market.
Qualcomm's so confident in both it's SoC, modem, and RF solutions, it doesn't think any other company can make a dent in the emerging 5G market this year. "We believe that virtually all 5G mobile devices launched in 2019 will be built on Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G solutions," Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said in the announcement.
Let's hope the number of 5G phones landing in 2019 isn't just a symptom of network incompatibilities.
PRESS RELEASE
Qualcomm Chipsets and RF Front End Power More than 30 Commercial 5G Mobile Devices Scheduled to Launch in 2019
— Interoperability Tests and Pre-commercial Activities with Major Global Operators, Infrastructure Vendors and OEMs Show Ecosystem Readiness for Global 5G Commercialization Using the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform with Snapdragon X50 5G Modem Family —
Qualcomm products mentioned within this press release are offered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today announced strong 5G device momentum with more than 30 5G design-wins, the majority of which are smartphones, from global OEMs featuring the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and the Snapdragon X50 5G modem family. In addition, all customer OEMs and nearly all the devices related to these 5G design-wins use Qualcomm® RF Front End (RFFE) solutions.
Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform is the first commercial 5G mobile platform designed to enable the original wave of commercial 5G mobile devices starting in early 2019. With the Snapdragon X50 5G modem family and Qualcomm RFFE solutions, devices powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform support both sub-6 and mmWave spectrum, allowing multi-gigabit speeds and low-latency that were unfeasible in mobile so far and will unlock transformative 5G experiences.
“We believe that virtually all 5G mobile devices launched in 2019 will be built on Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G solutions,” said Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated. “5G will pave the way for next-generation immersive experiences, including near-instant access to cloud services, multiplayer VR gaming, shopping with AR, and real-time video collaboration. The world is ready for the 5G smartphone premium experience and Qualcomm Technologies, along with our OEM, operator and infrastructure partners, will be first delivering those experiences in 2019.”
Qualcomm 5G journey, captured in this comprehensive timeline, spans from foundational research in the 1990’s and the first 5G inventions in the 2000’s to the first 5G NR prototypes, trials, modem, mmWave modules and smartphone test devices over the last couple years. Qualcomm Technologies is uniquely positioned to make 5G a commercial reality starting in early 2019 – with device launches and network rollouts across North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and China – with Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem family and Qualcomm RFFE solutions including Qualcomm® QTM052 mmWave antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna elements – helping manufacturers address the exponential increase in device design complexity that comes with 5G in both sub-6 GHz and mmWave bands.
For more information visit https://www.qualcomm.com/5G.
Qualcomm invents breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects, computes and communicates. When we connected the phone to the Internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our inventions are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As we lead the world to 5G, we envision this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT — including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, the QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit Qualcomm’s website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.
