An attendee listens to information about 5G, aka 5th generation mobile networks, at the Qualcomm booth during CES 2017. (Photo : Getty Images)
Qualcomm dropped its second-generation Gigabit-class LTE modem dubbed as Snapdragon X20, along with some new RF front-end components. The company claims that the said LTE modem promises faster average and download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps.
According to reports, the Qualcomm's first Gigabit LTE modem will be the first to support Category 18 download speeds that covers a speed of 1.2 Gbps. According to Ubergizmo, the LTE modem offers an upload speed at CAT 13 (150 Mbps), similar to its predecessors such as X9, X12 and X16 modems.
The 20-percent increment on speed from the current X16 modem can bridge the gap between LTE and 5G networks. Its impressive 1.2 Gbps peak download speed is made possible by Qualcomm's carrier aggregation, handled by five 20Mhz channels against four with the X16 Modem (1 Gbps, CAT 16). "Carrier aggregation" means combining multiple data streams all operating in the same band (20 Mhz here) to increase data throughput.
Alongside the carrier aggregation, the clocked speed of up to 1.2 Gbps is achieved through 4x4 MIMO antennas that allow up to 12 streams of data to be received using between three and five 20MHz portions of spectrum, AnandTech reported.
Built on the 10nm FinFET process, the second generation Gigabit LTE modem also offers support for 256-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) allowing for more flexible use of available licensed and unlicensed spectrum with over 1000 possible carrier aggregation band combinations, thus supporting 100Mbps data transmission across streams.
On the other hand, the Snapdragon X20 modem still included some features from its predecessor such as the LTE Broadcast and Ultra HD Voice quality using the EVS codec. The X20 model also supports Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in the US.
In light of the Qualcomm X20 modem, a number of wireless providers could expand on the functionality of Gigabit LTE. By being compatible with thousands of possible network configurations, the X20 can activate an estimated 90 percent of operators worldwide to use Gb LTE on their networks.
The Snapdragon X20 LTE modem will not arrive in the market until early 2018, but Qualcomm will be the first to market this new modem. On another note, OEMs will receive the modem for sampling and testing.
