IMC 2018: Qualcomm is Ready for the 5G Revolution in Smartphones, Connected Cars

The next generation of wireless broadband is said to bring widespread changes to the way we communicate and connect, and we got a glimpse of that yesterday atIndia Mobile Congress 2018venue.

Being able to experience the latest advancements in this space was impressive, but I was curious to know how the deployment of 5G would impact smartphone users. So, when Qualcomm invited us for an interaction withDurga Prasad Malladi, who heads5G related developments at Qualcomm, I was really excited to discuss the company’s focus on the 5G advancements, 5G smartphones and a lot more.Durga Prasad Malladi, Head of 5G Developments at Qualcomm

Laying the Foundation of 5G

“Our team at Qualcomm has been preparing for 5G deployment for three years now”,said Malladi, as he began addressing a room full of journalists. The completion of each step in the process, according to him, wasa huge milestoneas it enabled the team to start working withinfrastructure partners for equipmentbased on the specifications.

To give us an idea about the work that went into bringing the technology to life, Durga walked us through themulti-step process leading up to the commercial trails. According to him, the initial tests performed in association with tech giants likeEricsson,Nokia,Samsung, etc. involved a massive 5G contraption.

“We knew this next big transformation was coming”

Qualcomm apparently worked (and is still working) with19 OEMs, who are popular both globally and locally here in India, to bring down the size. He decided to remain tight-lipped about the OEMs, though. However, he did show us aprototype device, which, he claims was used for early commercial trials. We were given an exclusive look, so no pictures were allowed.

What are the other devices consuming 5G Technology

The primary objective at Qualcomm, as Malladi explains, was to helplarge manufacturing plants go wireless. This is something that’s easier said than done, as the manufacturing plants in question have armies of robots working on a low-latency network. Why go wireless? Well, it was simply because there was a lot of demand from manufacturers foradded flexibility.

But what’s next? What are the other devices we’ll get to see apart fromcommercial machinery and industrial IoT relying on ultra low-latency computations? Well, the 5G boss, as they call him at Qualcomm, believes that 5G will vastly help in theautonomous field, allowing cars to connect and talk to each other at the same time. Not only will it help regulate the way we drive our vehicles, but it’ll also create asafe environmentfor all us.

“Safety is one of the first applications of 5G, and we’re really happy with the progress.”

As soon as the technology is ready for a commercial rollout early next year, it looks like we’ll start seeing an influx of“Always Connected Laptops”from various manufacturers as well, powered by Qualcomm’s chipsets. Of course, you can go out and pick up one of these laptops today, but they’ll startgoing mainstream once more OEMs are readyto with their devices.

Look, besides the obviously known applications, no one knows how the deployment of 5G will change our lives or change the way we access wireless networks. Will we still haveVoLTE equivalentof voice technology in the 5G scenario? When can we expectOEMs to bring 5G smartphones to the budget space?There are a ton of unanswered questions. Questions, which, I believe can be answered only after the commercialization.

The first phase of 5G deployment will begin as early as Q2 2019 in North America, Europe, Korea, etc.

But, Qualcomm, as I know, is an invention company that’s been developing thebuilding blocks of 5G technologyfor years. So, whenever we are at the cusp of these changes, I am sure Qualcomm will continue to fuel the progress, and I am really excited about what’s in store for us.

Karthik Iyer

Karthik is a Contributing Author for Beebom. Be it mobile devices, laptops, etc. he brings his passion for technology wherever he goes. When he’s not dwelling on the latest tech, you can usually find Karthik wasting time on Instagram or feeding his incessant obsession for video games.

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