In 2022, when we talk about 5G, it may not be as fresh as in the previous two years, but the pace of large-scale commercialization of 5G, as well as the development of the industry itself, has not stopped for a moment. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as of the end of February this year, the number of 5G mobile phone subscribers in the mainland reached 384 million, a net increase of 29.05 million from the end of the previous year; the total number of 5G base stations reached 1.506 million, accounting for 15% of the total number of mobile base stations.
Globally, 200 operators have launched 5G commercial services; more than 285 operators are investing in 5G deployment; and 5G smartphone shipments are expected to exceed 5 billion from 2020 to 2025.
Overall, the construction of the 5G industry has entered a stable period. Behind such a thriving scene, it is inseparable from the continuous progress of 5G underlying connection technology and hardware solutions. In the process of continuous development of 5G, we will find that there is always an important enabler, that is, Qualcomm.
Just so, Qualcomm just launched a new generation of Snapdragon X70 5G modem and RF system, a variety of innovative features that make people look forward to what kind of 5G experience it will bring us. In fact, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series modems and RF systems have always played an important role in advancing the commercial deployment of 5G and have become a leader in the outstanding 5G experience.
From Snapdragon X50 to Snapdragon X65, the evolution of the 5G experience
The so-called leader is to walk in front of the industry, and Qualcomm's layout in 5G just confirms this. As early as 2006, Qualcomm began the research and development of 5G-related technologies, and in 2016, when the 5G topic had not yet formed a hot topic, Qualcomm released its first and the world's first commercial 5G modem Snapdragon X50.
Snapdragon X50
The Snapdragon X50 leveraged the large bandwidth provided by the 28GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) band at the time, combined with advanced signal processing technology, to achieve unprecedented gigabit-per-second download speeds.
In October 2017, Qualcomm successfully achieved the world's first 5G data connection based on the X50 5G modem chipset, and Qualcomm also previewed the first 5G smartphone reference design at that time, which was a milestone achievement in 2017.
Snapdragon X55
Then in 2019, Qualcomm launched the second generation of 5G modem Snapdragon X55.
The Snapdragon X55 is a 7nm single-chip modem that supports 5G to 2G multimode, as well as 5G NR mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands. In 5G mode, it can achieve download speeds of up to 7Gbps and upload speeds of up to 3Gbps.
Designed for global 5G deployments, this modem supports all major frequency bands, whether millimeter wave or sub-6 GHz. It also supports TDD and FDD operating modes, and supports standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) network deployments.
Not only that, with the Snapdragon X55, Qualcomm has also launched a 5G millimeter wave antenna module (QTM525), a new single-chip 14nm RF transceiver that supports 5G below 6 GHz and LTE, and a low RF front-end module below 6GHz, providing a complete solution for a new generation from modem to antenna for all major spectrum bands.
You know, 2019 is the first year of the official issuance of the mainland 5G commercial license, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X55 modem and RADIO system, is a complete solution from modem to antenna, which brings great convenience to the rapid deployment of 5G terminals by OEMs in the early stage of 5G, so in 2019, we saw the release of a number of 5G mobile phones.
Snapdragon X60
Qualcomm's third-generation 5G modem-to-antenna solution, the Snapdragon X60, was released in February 2020. The Snapdragon X60 is the world's first 5nm 5G baseband with download rates of up to 7.5Gbps and an impressive 3Gbps uplink. Paired with the Snapdragon X60 is the QTM535 mmWave antenna module, which has a more compact design and supports slimmer, more stylish smartphones.
Another major contribution of the Snapdragon X65 is the world's first modem that supports the aggregation of all major 5G frequency bands and their combinations, including millimeter wave and FDD and TDD bands below 6GHz, which provides operators with the highest flexibility to leverage fragmented spectrum resources to improve 5G performance, and has played a great role in improving 5G performance and capacity for operators around the world.
In summary, the Snapdragon X60 accelerates the evolution of 5G network deployment to stand-alone networking (SA) through powerful carrier aggregation capabilities that support all major frequency bands, deployment modes, band combinations, and 5G VoNR capabilities.
Snapdragon X65
The various flagship phones we use today with the new generation of Snapdragon 8 mobile platform use Qualcomm's fourth-generation 5G modem and RF system.
Snapdragon X65 is the world's first modem and RF system to support downlink 10Gbps 5G rates, which means that it can achieve transmission speeds of more than 10 Gigabit for the first time in a 5G environment; Snapdragon X65 can also reach an upstream transmission rate of 3.5Gbps, which greatly raises the ceiling of the 5G transmission experience.
In addition, the Snapdragon X65 has more key features, such as an upgradeable architecture. This capability supports enhancements, extensions, and customization across 5G market segments, and supports the rapid deployment of new features and functionality coming soon to 3GPP Release 16 through software updates.
Also critical is the new AI antenna coordination technology supported by the Snapdragon X65, the world's first AI-assisted 5G adaptive antenna tuning solution that improves antenna performance based on context and helps end-users address the growing number and frequency range of antennas required for 5G mobile terminals.
From Snapdragon X50 to Snapdragon X65, we can see qualcomm's efforts to improve the 5G comprehensive experience, not only the 5G transmission rate is getting higher and higher, the overall power control of 5G terminals is constantly improving, the consistency of the 5G connection experience in different countries and different regions, the stability of 5G connections under massive use scenarios and the richness of supporting applications, etc. The experience elements at different levels have been improved and improved in each product iteration.
It is based on such upgrades and accumulations that we can see today's new generation of all-round and powerful Snapdragon X70 modems.
Snapdragon X70, a new generation of AI-powered almighty king
The biggest attraction of the new generation of Snapdragon X70 modems and RF systems is that it is the world's first modem and RF system to integrate 5G AI processors. Specifically, Qualcomm introduced a 5G AI suite in the Snapdragon X70, which can leverage AI capabilities to achieve breakthrough 5G performance in real-world application scenarios.
Since 2016, the Snapdragon X series modem and RF system have witnessed the process of 5G from germination to growth, and this process is also the process of continuous cooperation and collaboration between Qualcomm and operators and terminal manufacturers around the Snapdragon X series products.
The Snapdragon X70 is also the world's first use of AI-assisted millimeter wave beam management, which can help terminals more intelligently troubleshoot and predict uncertain environments, thereby helping to optimize the focus and direction of millimeter wave beams, achieving higher transmission efficiency, better network coverage and link robustness.
In addition, the Snapdragon X70 can also take advantage of AI-assisted network selection. Because the environment that operators face when deploying networks is very complex, complex network environments affect the flexibility and security of the network. The AI capabilities of the Snapdragon X70 can intelligently identify and monitor network patterns, so that certain dropped or risky connection states can be predicted and avoided, resulting in better mobility and link robustness, reducing stuttering while improving the user experience.
Finally, the AI-assisted adaptive antenna tuning supported by the Snapdragon X70 is also very powerful, it is mainly used in the RF front end, through AI technology to intelligently detect the position of the user's hand holding the terminal, and real-time dynamic tuning antenna, so as to support higher transmission speeds and energy efficiency, as well as a wider network coverage.
Powered by ai processors, the Snapdragon X70 delivers unmatched transmission speeds while delivering superior network coverage. In terms of downstream, the Snapdragon X70 supports downstream 4 carrier aggregation, which is completely based on 4 carriers in the Sub-6GHz band; while in the millimeter wave band, it can support up to 8 carrier aggregation, thereby achieving excellent downstream transmission speed of 10Gbps; upstream, achieving high-speed transmission faces more challenges, The Snapdragon X70 can reach a high upstream transmission rate of 3.5Gbps, which is inseparable from uplink carrier aggregation, carrier aggregation-based upstream transmission switching, and support for 100MHz The envelope tracking technology and a series of other black technology blessings.
In addition, the Snapdragon X70 is the only modem and RF system in the world that can support all 5G commercial frequency bands from 600MHz to 41GHz, providing great flexibility for end manufacturers to design terminals that meet the requirements of operators around the world.
In terms of bringing extreme flexibility to operators, the Snapdragon X70 has done more. For example, it supports multi-SIM technology, supports global multi-SIM card functions including dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) and dual card dual pass (DSDA), supports independent communication between the main card and the secondary card, and when the secondary card makes voice calls, the main card can continue to surf the Internet; when the main card is used to play games, the secondary card will not cause the main card to play the game and the incoming call will not cause the main card game application to be catoned.
In addition, the Snapdragon X70 also supports spectrum aggregation functions, including NR-DC, the former is 5G dual-connection technology, and EN-DC is based on NSA mode, using LTE and 5G for dual connectivity.
Finally, there is the upgradeable architecture we already mentioned that can accelerate the commercial use of 3GPP Release 16 features.
The process of improving the 5G experience is also a process of in-depth cooperation
For example, before the official commercial deployment of 5G, Qualcomm took the lead in joining hands with China Mobile and ZTE to achieve the world's first 5G connection based on the 3GPP 5G new air interface standard at that time, and also demonstrated at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference that year.
Qualcomm and operator cooperation has a deep origin, when the Snapdragon X50 was launched, it has been selected by many wireless network operators around the world for the field OTA 5G new air interface mobile experiments in the sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave bands, including AT&T, British Telecom, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, Korea Telecom, etc. Operators use Qualcomm chips to carry out scale trials, which is to jointly create high-performance, support diversified services end-to-end 5G Commercial systems provide the foundational platform.
Not only that, the use of Snapdragon X modem and RF system solutions of communication module manufacturers, but also constitute the main force of operators to deploy 5G construction, according to the 5G general module products released by China Mobile last year, the centralized procurement of 5G module products won the candidate information, Qualcomm to help support the module manufacturer partners accounted for about half, enough to show the market maturity and recognition of Snapdragon X modem and RF system solutions.
In addition to operators, Qualcomm's cooperation with terminal manufacturers is more easily perceived by everyone. Speaking of this, the first thing worth mentioning is Qualcomm's "5G Pilot Program" jointly established with Chinese manufacturers in 2018. With its deep technical expertise and leading Snapdragon X series 5G modem solutions, Qualcomm provides Chinese manufacturers with the platform needed to develop top-of-the-line and global 5G commercial terminals, and also combines their respective leading edges with OEMs to explore new mobile applications and experiences brought by 5G, which has had a profound impact on the rapid development of 5G terminals and applications in mainland China.
At the same time, with the launch of each generation of Snapdragon mobile platform, Qualcomm will carry out in-depth cooperation with terminal manufacturers for 5G applications and optimization, including 5G smartphone software and hardware development, as well as architecture planning, motherboard stacking, RF and antenna design, and optimization of battery space, etc. We see that today's 5G mobile phones are becoming more and more thin and light, and the power consumption is getting lower and lower, which is the result of Qualcomm and terminal manufacturers' continuous in-depth joint tuning on each generation of products.
epilogue
As the 5G construction and deployment enter a stable period, 5G will promote the digital economy represented by industry applications to deeply transform all aspects of society, and the latest generation of Snapdragon X70 modems and RF systems are also welcoming new market opportunities with an increasingly mature attitude, which is qualcomm's accumulation through 5 generations of products in less than six years, and qualcomm's ability to gradually grow up with partners in long-term and in-depth cooperation.
In the future, I believe that Qualcomm, which is at the intersection of thousands of industries, will truly promote the beautiful vision of digital transformation of the whole society through strong leadership in the field of 5G, so that the future depicted by 5G is no longer just the future.