Qualcomm demonstrates 5G new air interface connection based on 3GPP for the first time, which is expected to become a global standard

At the "2017 Qualcomm 5G Summit" held recently, Qualcomm announced the successful completion of its first 5G connection based on the 3GPP 5G New Radio (5G NR) standard work. The 5G New Radio is expected to become the global 5G standard.

The 5G connection was completed using Qualcomm's sub-6GHz 5G NR prototype system, demonstrating that advanced 5G NR technology can efficiently achieve multi-gigabit data rates per second and significantly reduce latency compared to today's 4G LTE networks. The above 5G NR prototype system can operate based on the mid-band frequency band of 3.3GHz to 5.0GHz. The successful completion of this connection is an important milestone in the large-scale rapid verification and commercialization of 5G NR technology.

5G New Air will make full use of extensive spectrum resources, and the use of frequency bands below 6 GHz is essential to achieve full coverage and capacity that can meet a large number of future 5G use cases. Qualcomm released and first demonstrated its 5G New Air prototype below 6 GHz in June 2016. The prototype includes base stations and user equipment (UE) and can serve as a test platform to verify the 5G New Air functions of frequency bands below 6 GHz. This live prototype demonstration showcases a number of advanced 3GPP 5G New Air technologies, including adaptive independent TDD subframes, scalable waveforms based on OFDM to support larger bandwidths, advanced LDPC channel coding, and a new flexible design based on a low-latency time slot structure.

“The first 5G NR connection is not only an important milestone in the development of 5G, but also fully demonstrates Qualcomm’s long-term leadership in developing next-generation wireless technologies that will drive and track the 3GPP standardization process,” said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Qualcomm. “Just as we did with 3G, 4G and Gigabit LTE, Qualcomm is working closely with leading network operators like China Mobile Communications Group Corporation to ensure the timely deployment of 5G NR commercial networks.”

As part of the ongoing collaboration between the two companies, Qualcomm will publicly demonstrate the prototype system at the Qualcomm booth (Hall 3, Stand 3E10) and China Mobile booth (Hall 1, Stand 1G50) at Mobile World Congress.