SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm
Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated,
Ericsson, and SK Telecom today announced plans to conduct
interoperability testing and over-the-air field trials based on 5G
New Radio (NR) standards being developed based on specifications in
3GPP. The trials intend to drive the mobile ecosystem toward rapid
validation and commercialization of 5G NR technologies at scale,
enabling timely commercial network launches based on 3GPP Rel-15
standard compliant 5G NR infrastructure and devices.
In the trials, the Companies will showcase new 5G NR
technologies that utilize wide bandwidths available at higher
frequency bands to increase network capacity and achieve
multi-gigabit per second data rates. These technologies will be
critical to meeting the increasing consumer connectivity
requirements for emerging consumer mobile broadband experiences
such as virtual reality, augmented reality and connected cloud
services. Additionally, the proliferation of 5G NR technology can
make it more cost-effective and easier for multi-gigabit Internet
service to reach more homes and businesses.
The trials will employ 3GPP 5G NR Multiple-Input Multiple-Output
(MIMO) antenna technology with adaptive beamforming and beam
tracking techniques to deliver robust and sustained mobile
broadband communications at higher frequency bands, including
non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments and device mobility. It will
also make use of scalable OFDM-based waveforms and a new flexible
framework design that are also part of the 5G NR specifications.
The trials are expected to yield valuable insight into the unique
challenges of integrating 5G NR technologies into mobile networks
and devices.
"As we did in both 3G and 4G, we are excited about collaborating
with leading operators and industry stakeholders such as Ericsson
and SK Telecom to accelerate the path to 5G," said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief
technology officer, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "The roadmap of 5G
technologies is incredibly complex, and trials based on the global
3GPP 5G standard, such as this, are critical to continuing our long
history of leadership integrating advanced wireless technologies in
form-factor accurate devices to ensure timely deployment of 5G
networks."
"As 5G rapidly gains momentum, a globally agreed and unified
standard becomes imperative to achieve early commercialization of
5G and build an efficient ecosystem around it," said Alex Jinsung Choi, EVP, Chief Technology
Officer, SK Telecom, "As 3GPP NR is a global 5G standard, we are
delighted to announce early 3GPP NR trials with leading 5G players,
Ericsson and Qualcomm, with which we have made remarkable world's
first footprints in the past with previous generations of
groundbreaking mobile technologies."
"5G is the greatest opportunity our industry has ever
experienced. It will enable operators to move into new markets and
build new revenue streams with radically new business models and
use cases," said Ulf Ewaldsson, senior vice president and chief
technology officer, Ericsson. "This important 5G standard-based
trial collaboration will demonstrate compliance to 3GPP and support
the accelerated commercialization of the global 3GPP 5G standard.
On the road to 5G, Ericsson is working with leading operators and
ecosystem players to enable innovative use cases on a global
scale."
The interoperability testing and trials, which will launch in
Korea starting in the second half of 2017, are intended to track
closely with, as well as help accelerate, the first 3GPP 5G NR
specification that will be part of Release 15 – the global 5G
standard that will make use of both sub-6 GHz and mmWave spectrum
bands. Tracking the 3GPP specification is important because it
promotes adherence and validation with the global 5G standard,
accelerating the time to standard-compliant devices and
infrastructure. It will also drive forward compatibility to future
3GPP 5G NR releases.
About Qualcomm Incorporated
Qualcomm Incorporated
(NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation
wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's
licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent
portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm
Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially
all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions,
and substantially all of its products and services businesses,
including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 30 years,
Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital
communications, linking people everywhere more closely to
information, entertainment and each other. For more information,
visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.
About SK Telecom
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670),
established in 1984, is Korea's largest telecommunications company
with more than 29.15 million mobile subscribers, accounting for
around 50% of the market. The company reached KRW 17.137 trillion in revenue in 2015. As the
world's first company to commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2000 1x, CDMA
EV-DO and HSDPA networks, SK Telecom launched the nation's first
LTE service in July 2011. SK Telecom
also became the world's first mobile carrier to commercialize
150Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2013 and
225Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2014
through Carrier Aggregation (CA). In line with its efforts to
swiftly move towards the next-generation mobile network system, or
5G, it successfully commercialized 300Mbps tri-band LTE-A CA in
December 2014 and launched
LTE-Advanced Pro in June 2016. As of
the end of June 2016, the company has
over 20.03 million LTE and LTE-Advanced subscribers. Based on its
strength in network operations business, SK Telecom is seeking new
growth engines through three innovative platforms namely Lifestyle
Enhancement Platform, Advanced Media Platform and IoT Service
Platform. For more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com/en
or email to skt_press@sk.com.
About Ericsson
Ericsson is the driving force behind
the Networked Society – a world leader in communications technology
and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom
operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill
their potential and create a more sustainable future. Our services,
software and infrastructure – especially in mobility, broadband and
the cloud – are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to
do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user
experience and capture new opportunities. With approximately
115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine
global scale with technology and services leadership. We support
networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty
percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson
networks. And our investments in research and development ensure
that our solutions – and our customers – stay in front. Founded in
1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2015 were
SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ
OMX stock exchange in Stockholm
and the NASDAQ in New York.
Qualcomm Contacts:
Pete Lancia, Corporate
Communications
Phone: 1-858-845-5959
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
John Sinnott, Investor
Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
SK Telecom Contacts:
Cindy Kang, Public Relations
Phone: +82-6100-3836
Email: psyche@sk.com
Ericsson Contacts:
Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com
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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated