• by Chuck Martin , July 23, 2018

In a move to more quickly bring 5G mobile speeds to market, Qualcomm Technologies has introduced a new antenna for smartphones and other mobile devices.

Clearing a major hurdle for 5G working on mobile devices, Qualcomm’s 5G NR millimeter wave (mmWave) antenna module has a compact footprint to be able to fit into mobile devices.

“Today’s announcement of the first commercial 5G NR mmWave antenna modules and sub-6 GHz RF modules for smartphones and other mobile devices represents a major milestone for the mobile industry,” stated Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm president. “These type of modem-to-antenna solutions, spanning both mmWave and sub-6 spectrum bands, make mobile 5G networks and devices, especially smartphones, ready for large scale commercialization. With 5G, consumers can expect gigabit-class internet speeds with unprecedented responsiveness in the palm of their hands, which stand to revolutionize the mobile experience.”

The mmWave antenna features an integrated 5G NR radio transceiver, power management, front-end components and phased antenna array. The new antenna will allow the creation of higher-speed mobile devices to be available as soon as the first half of 2019, according to Qualcomm.