The Tribune

5G MAY be in your phone sooner than you think.

On Monday, Qualcomm unveiled the world’s first 5G wireless chip, the Snapdragon X50 modem. It’s initially aimed at smartphones and gear like home wireless networks. And it should be in devices in the first half of 2018.

“5G is right around the corner,” Sherif Hanna, Qualcomm staff manager of technical marketing, said.

The X50 represents the next baby step toward 5G, which is expected to be 100 times faster than current wireless technology and 10 times speedier than what Google Fiber offers through a physical connection to the home. Typically, when a new wireless technology becomes available, it first shows up in standalone devices like wireless hotspots. But Qualcomm is already working on getting it into phones.

Qualcomm says the chip will likely appear first in phones on networks like Korea Telecom, in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The X50 processor also has some limitations. It only connects to 5G networks, so to hook up to an older 4G or 3G network, you will need a second wireless chip. Qualcomm hopes phone makers will opt to pair the X50 with its Snapdragon line of processors that integrate the brains of the device with the wireless connectivity. Companies like LG and HTC use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line, but Apple does not.

5G uses very high frequency spectrum known as millimetre waves. They can carry large amounts of data and transfer signals with minimal delays. But signals travel only short distances and have difficult penetrating walls and going around corners, which makes designing 5G networks tricky.

SHARA TIBKEN

Cnet.com