Qualcomm sampling first dual-carrier HSPA+ and multi-mode 3G/LTE chipsets

SAN DIEGO, USA: Qualcomm Inc. is sampling the industry's first chipsets for dual-carrier HSPA+ and multi-mode 3G/LTE.

The Mobile Data Modem (MDM) MDM8220 solution is the first chipset to support Dual-carrier High-Speed Packet Access Plus (DC-HSPA+); and the MDM9200 and the MDM9600 chipsets are the industry's first multi-mode 3G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) solutions.

These chipsets demonstrate significant progress toward enabling the mass-market commercial deployment of two next-generation network technologies that bring more advanced data capabilities to mobile devices for new global markets in addition to North America.

Dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE are network innovations that provide the ability to deliver more advanced data capabilities to mobile devices, supporting more compelling applications and richer user experiences.

A variety of network operators, infrastructure vendors and mobile device manufacturers are now working with Qualcomm to enable the deployment of these next-generation network technologies in new markets worldwide. Interoperability testing with infrastructure partners is already underway with multiple field trials scheduled for the first half of next year. Commercial launches of data-centric devices based on Qualcomm's MDM solutions are expected to begin during the second half of 2010.

"Qualcomm leads the industry in enabling next-generation mobile experiences with highly integrated, powerful and elegant solutions for dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE. We are pleased to be working with so many industry leaders to bring these advanced technologies to market," said Alex Katouzian, vice president of product management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. "We remain committed to CDMA and OFDMA WAN modem leadership and the seamless and cost-effective commercialization of next-generation technologies around the world."

Qualcomm is working with numerous network operators, infrastructure vendors and device manufacturers with its dual-carrier HSPA+ and/or LTE solutions. Among multiple network operators evaluating the new technologies are Japan's EMOBILE Ltd. and Telstra Wireless.

Qualcomm is also working with multiple infrastructure vendors, such as Huawei Technologies and Nokia Siemens Networks, to perform interoperability tests for dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE. Among the many device manufacturers currently evaluating the new chipsets are Huawei, LG Electronics, Novatel Wireless, Sierra Wireless and ZTE.

"HSPA's faster data speeds and added capacity offers an attractive upgrade path for our growing network," said Eric Gan, representative director, president and COO at Japan EMOBILE Ltd. "We see Qualcomm's new dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE technology as a real potential benefit for our customers."

"Telstra is on track to start deploying the next evolution of Dual-carrier HSPA+ technology in the Next G network by the end of 2009," said Mike Wright, executive director at Telstra Wireless. "Following our successful collaboration in developing the world's first HSPA+ commercial network and device, we are working with Qualcomm and looking forward to their MDM8220 chipsets to support the evolution of our network."

"Huawei is committed to providing its customers with the latest infrastructure and mobile devices," said Wan Biao, president of Wireless Product Line at Huawei Technologies. "We are pleased to be helping bring these new technologies to market with our infrastructure products, as well as with products that enable consumers to experience the benefits of dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE."

"As a leader in LTE infrastructure deployment with a focus on driving a healthy ecosystem for LTE, we appreciate the versatility of Qualcomm's multi-mode 3G/LTE and dual-carrier HSPA+ products," said Tommi Uitto, head of Wireless Access product management at Nokia Siemens Networks. "Flexible solutions that offer a seamless migration path to next-generation network technologies are critical for our industry to move fast and encourage a quick uptake of new services."

"It is very inspiring to begin working with these latest network solutions to help us offer additional benefits to our consumers," said In-kyung Kim, vice president of the LG Electronics Mobile Handset R&D Center 4G Development Team.

"With LG's advanced mobile devices set to adopt these promising chipsets, consumers will benefit from a more seamless communications experience and access to enhanced services. LG stands at the forefront of embracing this next-generation technology, which promises to usher in a new era of mobile communications."

"We look forward to evaluating all of these next-generation network solutions from Qualcomm," said Rob Hadley, chief marketing officer at Novatel Wireless, Inc. "Our goal is to deliver a broad range of high-quality HSPA+ and LTE wireless modems and modules to wireless network operators, and these new chipsets from Qualcomm appear to offer significant advantages in integration, power savings and performance features."

"The shift to HSPA and EV-DO is already driving growing demand for mobile broadband devices," said Jim Kirkpatrick, chief technology officer at Sierra Wireless, Inc. "Qualcomm's new dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE chipsets should help that growth momentum to continue well into the next decade."

"We see LTE and dual-carrier HSPA+ as an important opportunity for us to increase our market penetration in developed markets," said Kan Yulun, vice president of Handset R&D Division at ZTE Corp. "Qualcomm's chipsets offer us a way to quickly bring LTE and dual-carrier HSPA+ devices to market."

Qualcomm's MDM8220 dual-carrier HSPA+ solution, based on the 3GPP Release 8 standard, provides peak downlink data rates of up to 42 megabits per second (Mbps) and 11 Mbps on the uplink, allowing carriers to easily upgrade their existing infrastructure equipment to achieve significantly higher bandwidths. Its dual-carrier technology doubles networks' bandwidth from 5 MHz to 10 MHz by aggregating two HSPA carriers in parallel.

The MDM9200 and the MDM9600 chipsets are the industry's first multi-mode 3G/LTE solutions that allow UMTS and CDMA2000 operators to upgrade seamlessly to future LTE services while preserving backward compatibility to their existing 3G networks. MDM9200 supports UMTS, HSPA+ and LTE, while the MDM9600 supports CDMA2000® 1X, EV-DO Rev. B, SV-DO, SV-LTE, UMTS, HSPA+ and LTE.

All of the new chipsets support FDD LTE and TDD LTE modes and different carrier bandwidths, and are capable of using orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology to support peak data rates of up to 100 Mbps on the downlink and 50 Mbps on the uplink.