Qualcomm Aiming to Scale 5G Smartphones to 'Global Mass-Market Audience'
The 2021 introduction of 5G functionality in Qualcomm’s 4 Series of Snapdragon processors will speed the mass scaling of entry-level 5G smartphones globally, said Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon in an opening IFA 2020 keynote Thursday. Amon spoke via prerecorded video before a physical audience in a Messe Berlin exhibition hall. The hybrid physical/virtual IFA 2020, the first tech trade show in the COVID-19 era with in-person attendance (see 2008310024), opened with the theme “Tech is Back.”
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Qualcomm “delivered” on its IFA 2019 promise to bring 5G to its 6 and 7 Series processors along with its “premium tier” (see 1909060014), said Amon. By bringing 5G to the 4 Series, “we’re accelerating 5G global commercialization at scale and working to ensure that the most affordable 5G devices worldwide are based on Snapdragon,” he said. Qualcomm’s goal is to use the 4 Series 5G “expansion” to bring high- and mid-tier features to “a global mass-market audience” numbering at least 3.5 billion smartphone users, he said. Xiaomi will be among the first OEMs to build the 4 Series into a 5G smartphone, he said.
It should be “no surprise” that 5G commercialization “is moving fast,” said Amon. “Last year at IFA, I was thrilled to tell you that 20 OEMs and 20 operators had launched or were planning to launch 5G in the coming months. The reality has exceeded all expectations.” Qualcomm estimates more than 80 operators in nearly 40 countries have launched 5G networks, “with over 300 more investing in the technology,” he said.
Devices makers are “equally active,” said Amon. “There are hundreds of products announced or in development” using Qualcomm 5G technology, he said. Qualcomm projects 750 million 5G smartphones globally will ship in 2022, he said. By 2023, 5G connections are forecast to surpass a billion, “doing so two years faster than 4G,” he said. “By 2025, 5G connections are expected to reach nearly 3 billion globally, and could account for 45% of all mobile data traffic.”
The deployment of 5G fixed wireless access using mmWave and sub-6 GHz to connect homes and small business offers the benefits of fiber at lower cost, said Amon. Fixed wireless access connections are expected to carry 25% of global mobile network data traffic by the end of 2025, he said: “That’s incredible growth.”
With the right technology, “many workplaces can be anywhere,” said Amon. “The changes we’re experiencing right now will shape the future of the enterprise for decades to come in a good way. The growth in remote work can make jobs more accessible across diverse geographies and to many people.”
Qualcomm is partnering with Live Nation in using 5G to “enhance live music in exciting new ways,” beginning with a Snapdragon installation at the Antwerps Sportpaleis arena in Belgium, said Amon. The technology will help fans “get closer to the music they love,” and give artists the augmented reality tools “to take their creativity beyond the boundaries of the physical stage,” he said. “It can also allow more people to share in the live music experience and complement the physical event by virtually extending the walls of the venue.” Virtual concerts are in “huge demand," said Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino last month, estimating 67 million fans globally viewed more than 18,000 virtual concerts and festivals in Q2 (see 2008060001).