At Mobile World Congress 2021 (MWC 21), Keysight Technologies and Qualcomm demonstrated a 10 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data connection using 5G new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC), an industry-first milestone.
The demonstration included Keysight’s network emulation platform and Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System with Qualcomm QTM545 mmWave Antenna Module to aggregate 5G mmWave and sub-6GHz spectrum. The achievement builds on a long-term collaboration between the two companies to drive 5G commercialization across the device ecosystem. NR-DC allows 5G NR devices to concurrently connect and aggregate multiple NR cells, leading to significantly increased data transfer speeds.
“We’re pleased to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies to reach another industry-first milestone that lays the foundation for consumers and enterprises to achieve wired-broadband grade speeds in this next phase of 5G,” said Cao Peng, Vice President and General Manager for Keysight’s wireless test group. “This accomplishment clearly reflects that the industry has entered the second phase of 5G NR deployment, which will enable advanced wireless communications built on the latest 3GPP Release 16 specification.”
The demonstration used spectrum in both frequency range 1 (FR1) and FR2 (mmWave), which enables 5G user equipment (UE) to leverage wide bandwidths and high order modulation, leading to data transfer speeds of more than 10 Gbps. Flexible spectrum utilization combined with higher data speed connections allows mobile operators to dynamically deploy 5G services in wireless congested areas where bandwidth resources need to be managed efficiently to support advanced applications.
“Qualcomm Technologies is pleased to work with Keysight to develop pioneering solutions that allow device makers to accelerate innovations that support considerable performance improvements,” said Francesco Grilli, Vice President, Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies Inc. “This achievement builds on the recent milestone Qualcomm Technologies and Keysight realized in March 2021, showcasing 5G low/mid and high band aggregation across key global combinations on a smartphone form-factor device equipped with the Snapdragon X65 using Keysight’s 5G network emulation solutions. Together, we move significantly closer to providing users access to seamless, rapid connections on 5G devices in traditionally congested areas worldwide.”
Qualcomm Technologies also used Keysight’s 5G Protocol R&D Toolset, part of the company's suite of network emulation solutions, to establish the industry's first 5G NR data connection based on 3GPP Rel-16. This allows a connected device ecosystem to develop designs that lead to improved efficiencies in transportation, logistics and manufacturing, as well as providing better cell coverage and connection speeds for consumers.
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