New Qualcomm 5G modem supports millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz

Qualcomm X55 5G modem extends support to both millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz frequenciesWith Mobile World Congress Barcelona set to get underway next week, expect to see a number of 5G New Radio capable device launches to support early operator deployments. Almost all of this first wave of Android-based 5G handsets will be powered by Qualcomm’s X50 modem. And despite this first wave of devices just now being revealed, Qualcomm is prepped for a second wave with its X55 modem, announced today. The seven-nanometer chip supports both the 5G NR non-standalone and standalone variants in millimeter wave and sub-6 GHz frequencies, and TDD and FDD modes of operation. X55 supports up to 7 Gbps download speeds and 3 Gbps upload speeds. Qualcomm’s Ignacio Contreras, director of 5G marketing, called X50 “an instrumental piece” of the 5G kickoff with more than 30 design wins. “Just like X50, [X55] will be instrumental in the second wave of 5G devices” expected in the second half of 2019. Hints of an new 5G modem came out of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit in December with AT&T announcing a 5G Samsung device to support its millimeter wave network in the first-half of this year, and a follow up device in the second-half as the carrier expands 5G NR to its sub-6 GHz holdings.