Qualcomm Technologies and RF360 Holdings Singapore, a Qualcomm and TDK Joint Venture have announced a first off its kind hexaplexer RF solution. This solution incorporates their latest bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter technologies to support optimal performance, size and cost for increasingly complex frequency band combinations. The new hexaplexer solution complements their product line of filters, duplexers, and multiplexers, by addressing diverse carrier aggregation configurations that operators have been deploying to enhance the user experience as they expand Gigabit LTE coverage, speed and capacity. The new solution can benefit original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by simplifying carrier aggregation support in Qualcomm Technologies' power amplifier modules, thereby improving size and cost efficiency of design and helping accelerate time to global launch. For consumers, the low insertion loss of the hexaplexer solution is designed to support long battery life and superior data rates.
As smartphones are reaching Gigabit LTE speeds, the number of cellular bands within the phones is also rapidly increasing to provide support. Advanced filtering technology is needed to support carrier aggregation across a wide variety of frequency bands while managing interference issues and delivering excellent radio performance. The new hexaplexer solution integrates into power amplifier modules including duplexers (PAMiDs) modules and provides a key acoustic building block for these next generation PAMiD modules. The BAW- and SAW-based hexaplexers are an upgrade over the previous generation quadplexers. They are also key to designing single antenna devices with sleek form factors by supporting competitive RF performance for carrier aggregation in Gigabit LTE and future 5G multimode devices.
The new hexaplexer solution is scheduled for production in 2018 with leading OEMs expected to launch commercial devices in 2019.
