Qualcomm is sampling a millimeter wave antenna module for 5G smartphones that is 25 percent smaller than the first QTM052 version announced in July, which was the first commercial 5G NR millimeter wave module for smartphones to be announced.
This smaller module design was engineered to give smartphone manufacturers more options for antenna placement along the edge of the phone, without compromising the form factor or aesthetic design of the phone. Up to four modules can be integrated in the traditional smartphone form factor.
All the QTM052 millimeter wave antenna modules integrate a phased array antenna with a 5G NR radio transceiver, power management IC and RF front-end components. Paired with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50 5G modem, the millimeter wave system provides beam forming, beam steering and beam tracking to improve the range and reliability of millimeter wave coverage. According to Qualcomm, despite shrinking the size by 25 percent, the new module maintains the same peak antenna gain as the larger module.
The QTM052 covers up to 800 MHz bandwidth in the 26.5 to 29.5 (n257), 27.5 to 28.35 (n261) and 37 to 40 GHz (n260) 5G bands.
Qualcomm expects the antenna module to be in 5G NR smartphones with millimeter wave coverage launching in early 2019.
“This milestone reinforces leadership of Qualcomm Technologies in enabling the path to 5G commercialization in early 2019.” — Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm Incorporated