Qualcomm targets open RAN 5G opportunity

Qualcomm targets open RAN 5G opportunity

QUALCOMM 5G SUMMIT: Qualcomm moved to boost its presence in the mobile infrastructure sector with an expanded range of 5G RAN chipsets, targeting established and emerging equipment vendors by adding open RAN compatibility.

President Cristiano Amon (pictured) said Its Radio Unit Platform, Distributed Unit Platform and Distributed Radio Unit Platform are all “designed for the age of virtualised and modular networks”.

“This means that incumbent infrastructure vendors can complement existing portfolios with new capabilities, and new vendors can participate” with open RAN systems.

Sample shipments are planned for H1 2022: senior director of product management Gerardo Giaretta said the first commercial shipments are expected by the end of that year or early 2023, depending on vendor timelines.

Qualcomm highlighted backing from AT&T; Verizon; EE; Deutsche Telekom; Vodafone Group; Telecom Italia; Telefonica; KDDI; NTT Docomo; Rakuten Mobile; Softbank Corp; SK Telecom, KT; LG Uplus; and Reliance Jio.

The company stated the new silicon builds on its FSM100xx 5G RAN chipsets launched in 2019, enabling a broader range of deployment scenarios covering micro and macro sites.

In addition to virtualised network capabilities and open interfaces, the chipsets also feature an integrated modem-RF system design, and compatibility with sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum bands.

Giaretta told journalists the chipsets are designed to achieve “very high performance”, adding they will also help lower the total cost of ownership through increased energy efficiency.

He added Qualcomm has “no intention” of building its own network equipment, explaining the infrastructure market is “very synergetic” with the company’s mobile chipsets.

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