Qualcomm Technologies: Paving the way for 5G RF Success

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Steve Mollenkopf, CEO

Everyone wants the best connectivity from their smartphones, personal hotspot pucks, and tab-lets. But seldom do people realize that behind the scenes is a rather unglamorous concept called radio frequency (RF) platform that actu¬ally runs the show. Very succinctly, every cellular device is a two-way radio, and one way to boost the speed of communications in this radio is to add more frequencies (3G, 4G, 5G). What an RF platform does is combine high-performance analog and digital signals processing for 4G LTE and 5G.

Take any mobile device today and chances are that under the hood is Qualcomm Technologies’ RF platform, which utilizes advanced design and process technology to support a high-performance mobile RF platform. As a company, Qualcomm needs to introduction. The company is the mastermind behind breakthrough technologies in wireless telecommunications, which are redefining the way the world connects, computes, and communicates. Qualcomm started as a vision in 1985, when seven individuals met in a den in San Diego with a simple motive—to create quality communications. Today, the company operates from 224 locations spread across 40 countries. Keeping up the company’s winning streak is CEO Steve Mollenkopf who has been associated with Qualcomm for over 24 years. Mollenkopf is a published IEEE author and is an inventor on 38 patents in areas such as power estimation and measurement, multi-standard transmitters, and wireless communication transceiver technology. Under his leadership, Qualcomm is driving the development and launch of 5G and revolutionizing the way people connect.

Dream Big, Invent Bigger

The 5G era brings with it the promise of blistering speed but at the same time it also poses a new set of challenges for OEMs designing mobile devices. With wider frequency ranges, carrier bandwidths, increasing antenna count, mmWave complexity, and an exploding number of band and mode combinations, OEMs need innovative, next-generation RF solutions to build sleek, power-efficient 5G mobile devices while operators increase network capacity and coverage.

In such a scenario, Qualcomm brings to bear an extensive portfolio of RF solutions that include multimode, multiband RF transceivers, power amplifier modules, front-end modules, diversity receive modules, and Qualcomm^® RF Front End (RFFE) components. The Qualcomm RFFE solution includes a comprehensive family of chips: power amplifier modules, power trackers, antenna tuners, RF switches, diversity receive modules, integrated and discrete filters, multiplexers, and extractors.

The Qualcomm RFFE solution is built to address 5G design challenges while improving RF performance to help manufacturers develop power-efficient 5G multiband, multimode mobile devices and industrial designs easily. Currently, some of the devices with Qualcomm RFEE solutions include Samsung Galaxy S9, Asus Zenfone, OnePlus 6, Google Pixel 2, and Nokia 8. The company believes that Qualcomm chips and RFEE solutions will power more than 30 commercial 5G mobiles devices by 2019 with more than 150 million Qualcomm RFFE packages shipped by 2021.

The Qualcomm RFFE solution is built to address 5G design challenges while improving RF performance to help manufacturers develop power-efficient 5G multiband, multimode mobile devices in sleek form factors

Recently the company announced the launch of second generation Qualcomm RFFE for sleeker, more efficient 5G multimode mobile devices. The cutting-edge products are designed to work with the new Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ X55 5G modem, delivering a comprehensive modem-to-antenna system for high-performance 5G mobile devices supporting both sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave bands.

The Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ X55 5G modem, on the other hand, is a single-chip multi-mode solution that empowers OEMs to build 5G multimode devices. The Snapdragon X55 5G modem supports virtually any combination of spectrum bands and/or modes: 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz, standalone and non-standalone modes, TDD and FDD, spectrum sharing, LTE and legacy modes (3G, 2G). The modem is designed to bring 5G to all connected devices: from smartphones or mobile hotspots and fixed wireless devices, such as routers and CPEs to connected PCs, XR devices, cars, and more. In light of their solutions that support the 5G revolution Mollenkopf states, “Our 5G design wins have doubled over the last three months, leaving us extremely well positioned as 5G ramps in early calendar year 2020.”

The Engine for Progress

Similarly, the company also offers an extensive range of 5G multiband, multimode power amplifier modules for global design architectures in all tiers. Their PA modules bring together multiplexers, filters, RF switches and LNAs to allow highly integrated transmit and receive chains and optimized envelope tracking for premium RF performance while helping reduce a manufacturer’s time-to-launch. Another state-of-the-art offering by Qualcomm is its integrated and discrete RF switches built on proprietary layer transfer technology to deliver high linearity and low insertion loss for advanced 5G dual-connectivity (EN-DC) architectures. To support high performance receive and diversity receive chains in advanced multi-mode, multi-band designs, the compmay also extends an extensive portfolio of integrated and discrete low noise amplifiers (LNAs).

For organizations looking for antenna enhancement technologies, Qualcomm has it covered as well. The company offers the world’s first dynamic and reconfigurable modem-assisted commercial antenna matching tuner, aperture tuner, and antenna diversity switch for 5G multimode devices. Its advanced tunability allows OEMs to design sleek smartphones and tablets with high signal performance, wide frequency range, and extensive band support. For the next generation of ultra-fast mobile devices, Qualcomm^® QTM052 mmWave antenna modules are the world’s first, fully-integrated mmWave RF solution for smartphones that are engineered to open up spectrum and improve mmWave signal using 5G technologies. QTM052 modules contain a 5G NR radio transceiver, power management integrated circuit (IC), RF front-end components, and a phased antenna array. Moreover, Qualcomm^® QET5100, the first-of-its-kind commercially announced 60 MHz envelope tracker, works intelligently with the modem to support power-efficient connectivity. In addition, the company’s diversity receive modules combine switches, filters, and low-noise amplifiers into a module, providing a highly integrated, user-friendly solution for implementing high-order diversity receive paths for advanced 5G multimode architectures.

"Our 5G design wins have doubled over the last three months, leaving us extremely well positioned as 5G ramps in early calendar year 2020"

Transforming how the World Connects

Apart from state-of-the-art solutions, Qualcomm’s support services ensure that clients always have the much-needed leg-up to build their next innovation. For example, CreatePoint an online portal provides access to various materials, resources, and tools a company has licensed from Qualcomm to build and launch devices. Through this portal, clients have access to hardware and software documents, support cases, development content for chip products, catalog of hardware tools etc. Users also have the option of selecting software code ditros, browsing repositories, release notes, and more.

Qualcomm Technologies is uniquely positioned to make 5G a commercial reality with device launches such as Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem family and the new Qualcomm RFFE solutions and network rollouts across North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and China. In the days to come, 5G will not only pave the way for next-gen mobile devices but also 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 premium experience and Qualcomm will be the first to deliver those experiences. “We’re fascinated by technology and always working to push it forward. Our job is to be impatient. That’s our role in the industry, and our future,” ends Mollenkopf.

- Joe Phillip
August 07, 2019