Qualcomm Launches Release 16 5G Open RAN Platform for Small Cells

On Tuesday, Qualcomm announced its second-generation Qualcomm 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells (FSM200xx). The chipmaker claimed that this is the first the 3GPP Release 16 5G Open RAN platform in the industry.

Qualcomm's New 5G RAN Platform

As per the chipmaker, the new platform will bring enhancements to RF. The FSM200xx supports all commercial global mmWave and Sub-6 GHz bands. Qualcomm said that the new platform will look to take mmWave to more use case scenarios. Further, the chipmaker said that it will also introduce new Sub-6 GHz opportunities with small cell densification in public and private networks.

Qualcomm also said that with the Release 16 support, the FSM200xx can support Enhanced Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (eURLLC) that are critical to controlling equipment and machines.

Features of the FSM200xx

The new platform will support better data speeds, capacity and band support than its predecessors. What's more, Qualcomm said that the FSM200xx has an energy efficient, flexible and open architectures, for matching enterprise grade quality.

This particular 3GPP Release 16 Modem-RF solution has been designed for extending mobile 5G mmWave coverage and power efficiency, the chipmaker said. As such, it offers data speeds of up to 8 Gbps with 1 GHz bandwidth support on mmWave. It also supports wider 200 MHz carrier bandwidth.

The Qualcomm 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells can also support spectrum aggregation of 200 MHz of Sub-6 GHz spectrum. On that spectrum, it is capable of delivering data speeds of up to 4 Gbps.

Also, the chipmaker said that the solution will support both O-RAN and vRAN network architectures. Additionally, the O-RAN compliant offering can support all key 5G functional split options. What that does it that it allows telcos to disaggregate their RAN into interoperable modular components. This feature allows OEMs and operators enhanced deployment flexibility.

Qualcomm added that the new platform comes with a 4nm process node. A smaller form factor usually means that a chip will be more power efficient. As is the case with the FSM200xx RF+Modem solution. What's more, the platform also supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) support. PoE helps network operators reduce power consumption and costs.

First Platform to be Compatible with 3GPP Release 16

Since it is the first platform in the industry to support 3GPP's latest Release 16 standards, it brings many key features to support networks of tomorrow. First, it supports eURLLC, which will prove vital to accelerate the transition to industry 4.0. It also offers high link reliability (up to 99.9999%) which is vital for factory automation and mission critical control of equipment and machines.

Second, this platform supports 5G, including public and private networks, indoor and outdoor mmWave and Sub-6 GHz deployments. This will help deliver connectivity in crowded environments.

Gerardo Giaretta, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, said “As Open RAN and small cells infrastructure continue to gain momentum, Qualcomm Technologies is at the forefront of delivering cutting edge 5G mmWave and Sub-6 GHz technology to power 5G networks on a global scale".

He added, “small cells have been at the heart of the global 5G proliferation and Qualcomm Technologies is leading the charge as the industry transitions to open and virtualized 5G RAN networks".

The company added that the by the first half of 2022, customers can sample the FSM200xx.