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Device support for gigabit LTE comes with a hefty price tag

The six devices that support gigabit LTE are built on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 platform and X16 modem More than two dozen carriers around the world, as well as all four major U.S. mobile carriers, are working to deploy gigabit LTE technologies. While network testing has...

The key role of LAA in delivering gigabit LTE

Take a look at carrier trials that use LAA to push toward the theoretical limit of gigabit LTE As LTE networks continue to evolve toward 5G, the vital role of spectrum in improving end-user throughput is more apparent than ever. Simply put, most carriers don't...

Verizon taps LAA to hit 953 Mbps in ‘commercial’ deployment

Verizon used four-channel carrier aggregation, including unlicensed spectrum, to approach theoretical limit of gigabit LTE Gigabit LTE is a hot topic, but, in live network deployments, peak speeds often top out in the 100 Mbps-range. But, based on the results of a "commercial network deployment"...

The building blocks of gigabit LTE

4x4 MIMO + carrier aggregation + 256 QAM = gigabit LTE In what Peter Carson, senior director of marketing, Qualcomm Technologies, dubbed an international "speed race" (pun intended?), all four major U.S. operators, as well as numerous international carriers, are deploying gigabit LTE networks. Off the...

Samsung reports blockbuster Q2

Company is on track to replace Intel as world's largest chipmaker The world's leading smartphone vendor had a very strong second quarter, but smartphones were not the biggest contributor to Samsung's bottom line. Operating profit for Samsung's semiconductor business was almost double that at its...

Qualcomm updates Snapdragon platform and integrates X12 LTE modem

The world's leading designer of chipsets for wireless devices has updated its portfolio with the launch of two new integrated chipsets: the Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 660. The new chips can process faster, charge faster and stay charged for longer than their predecessors. Both...

Apple drops major chip supplier

Apple told Imagination Technologies it will no longer need the British company's intellectual property to create graphics processors, wiping out more than two-thirds of the chipmaker's market value overnight. "Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order...

Verizon launches nationwide IoT network

Verizon Wireless activated its Category M1 LTE network, making it the first U.S. carrier to launch a nationwide LTE network dedicated to the internet of things. The carrier said it will offer IoT data plans for as little as $2 per month per device,...

Analyst Angle: Semiconductor startups are becoming an endangered species

Smartphones are an extreme case of a high-volume market that justifies some incredibly complex engineering to pack so much into a small size. Some smartphones include as many as eight processor cores today ... making the old comparisons to the Apollo spacecraft laughable. Today’s smartphones...

Chipmakers look to automotive market for growth

As the smartphone market matures, the companies that make chips for wireless devices are targeting larger, faster mobile machines. The automotive semiconductor market is worth $24 billion, according to consulting firm McKinsey, and by 2025 more than $7 billion worth of semiconductors will be...

IoT development boards: Qualcomm, Intel, Gemalto target makers

Enabling the internet of things Many of the applications and devices set to drive future sales of wireless hardware have not yet been invented and no one knows this better than semiconductor companies. Wireless chip designers Qualcomm, Gemalto and Intel have created internet of things...

Sprint and Qualcomm debut gigabit LTE on Motorola handset

Sprint said it is the first U.S. carrier to deploy "gigabit class" LTE on a commercial network. The carrier showcased the technology at New Orleans' Smoothie King stadium using a forthcoming Motorola handset powered by Qualcomm's 835 mobile platform with an integrated Snapdragon X16...

Switching the switch: P4 language gives data centers more control

Mobile network operators need data centers that can scale with their networks, and the providers that have the most control over their hardware may ultimately be the ones who can best serve operators as they migrate to "5G." P4 is a programming language designed...

Embedded processor update

Embedded semiconductors now account for 10% of the overall microprocessor market, according to IC Insights. The firm estimates the size of the global market for microprocessors at $66.6 billion, meaning the market for embedded processors is worth about $6 billion. Roughly one-third of embedded...

IoT hardware news from MWC

Sierra Wireless, Sequans, Dell and ip.access all kicked off MWC with IoT-related announcements. The internet of things represents an enormous business opportunity for companies inside and outside the mobile industry. Wireless carriers will be racing to win new customers in the months ahead,...

Qualcomm leads industry proposal for hybrid 5G/LTE

Qualcomm Technologies is leading the charge to accelerate "5G" deployments into 2019, with the company using this week's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain, to highlight an update to its 5G modem and a coordinated effort among more than 20 companies to support...

Xilinx launches 5G RF-analog SoC for millimeter wave

Chipmaker Xilinx is looking to meet the challenges of "5G" power and form factor requirements by going analog to reduce size and power consumption with an integrated system-on-chip. The aim of the new Xilinx SoC is "to really enable a whole new level of design...

Qualcomm, Intel launch gigabit LTE modems

"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...

LTE-M updates: Sequans, Qualcomm, Altair

With both AT&T and Verizon Wireless expected to roll out LTE-M internet of things networks in the U.S. this year, makers of low-power connectivity chipsets are busy forging partnerships and launching trials. Sequans Communications and STMicroelectronics announced the most recent partnership. The companies said they...

Gigabit LTE brings new capabilities

The age of Gigabit LTE is here. Australian operator Telstra will begin commercial service in late February, starting with a single mobile-hotspot device. Smartphones capable of 1Gbps cellular downlinks should be available shortly thereafter. These devices will not only accelerate existing services but deliver...

Qualcomm announces chips for next-generation Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi looks a little more like LTE in Qualcomm's 802.11ax chipsets Wi-Fi that works is mission critical to many enterprises, and most people also rely on Wi-Fi to stay connected at home. But Wi-Fi that works today may disappoint tomorrow, if the number or type...

Verizon and NimbeLink demonstrate live Cat M1 network for IoT

Verizon Wireless is moving closer to connecting meters and asset trackers directly to its LTE network. Modem maker NimbeLink said it has demonstrated a live Category M1 connection on the Verizon Wireless LTE network. The company connected its device directly to Verizon's ThingSpace platform...

Intel to add 3,000 jobs in Arizona, invest $7 billion

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich held a press conference in the Oval Office to announce the company's plan to invest $7 billion in its Fab 42 factory in Chandler, Arizona. Krzanich said Fab 42 will employ about 3,000 people in new, high-tech, high-paying jobs, while...

Sprint, ARM boost SoftBank earnings … is Sprint now for sale?

SoftBank said operating profits surged 71% in its most recent fiscal quarter, and trumpeted a turnaround at Sprint as a contributor to the company's strong results. "Sprint is no longer the bottleneck of SoftBank," SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son told investors, according to analyst Jennifer Fritzsche...