“5G” may be right around the corner, but LTE still has some ground to cover before it fades into the sunset. Both Qualcomm and Intel announced new modem chips designed to support faster LTE connections and boost bandwidth by enabling mobile operators to more efficiently use their spectrum resources.
Both modems support gigabit LTE, which refers to downlink speeds of 1 gigabit per second. Gigabit LTE is expected to support new use cases for wireless technology, including industrial internet of things applications, virtual and augmented reality, and consistent access to large files stored in the cloud. The technology extends the range of end user LTE devices beyond smartphones and tablets.
“Increasingly we are seeing strong traction in automotive as well as industrial IoT,” said Serge Willenegger, SVP of product management at Qualcomm.
Qualcomm launched its second-generation gigabit LTE modem, the Snapdragon X20, which is built on a 10-nanometer process and supports Category 18 LTE speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. The product also extends the possibility of 1 Gbps to more operators by covering more bands, with Qualcomm stating roughly 90% of the world’s operators will be able to use the processor on their networks.
The Snapdragon X20 can combine up to 12 data streams of 100 megabits per second each using 4×4 multiple-input/multiple-output antenna technology, carrier aggregation and 256 quadrature amplitude modulation. With three blocks of 20 megahertz each, Qualcomm said the modem can deliver four data streams in each spectrum block. The chip supports licensed bands, license assisted access and citizens band radio spectrum.
Intel’s gigabit LTE modem, dubbed the 7560, is built on a 14-nanometer process and supports up to 35 bands ranging from 700 MHz to 6 GHz. Like the Qualcomm modem, the Intel chip supports 4×4 MIMO and 256 QAM, but also boasts 5x carrier aggregation on a single transceiver and downlink license assisted access.
The 7560 is the first Intel modem to support CDMA technology. Verizon Wireless and Sprint are CDMA carriers, so when Apple tapped Intel to supply modems for the iPhone 7, those modems went into the iPhones destined for AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US, with CDMA iPhones using Qualcomm modems.
As the next generation of smartphones hits the market, several operators may start touting gigabit LTE speeds. AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US have both said they will achieve gigabit LTE speeds in the near future, and Australian operator Telstra has already launched gigabit LTE on its network. Smartphones that support the technology with additional antennas for 4×4 MIMO are already hitting the market.
“We’re seeing a very broad portfolio of devices that are integrating these additional antennas,” Willenegger said. “So I would expect a number of announcements in the coming weeks and months.”
