News | December 3, 2018

Qualcomm And Nokia Complete 5G NR mmWave And Sub-6 GHz Over-The-Air (OTA) Interoperability Test Calls In Preparation For Commercial 5G Deployments In Early 2019

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and Nokia recently announced that they have successfully achieved over-the-air (OTA) 5G NR data calls in both the mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum bands. Compliant with the global 3GPP 5G NR Release 15 specification in NSA (Non-Standalone) mode, the interoperability testing milestones were completed at Nokia’s 5G center of excellence in Oulu, Finland using commercially available Nokia AirScale base stations and a mobile smartphone form-factor test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem and antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna elements.

The testing achievements between the two companies are a continuation of their commitment to interoperability and OTA testing for the deployment of commercial 5G services in 2019. In February 2018, Nokia and Qualcomm Technologies first completed key 3GPP-compliant 5G NR interoperability testing in the 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz spectrum bands using a commercially available Nokia AirScale base station and device prototypes from Qualcomm Technologies. The OTA calls are key steps in enabling customers in the 5G ecosystem to launch commercial networks and mobile devices from early 2019 onwards, in the United States, Korea, Europe, Australia, Japan and China.

“These successful data calls are a significant step in making 5G a commercial reality in early 2019, and this milestone with Nokia will help enable 5G network deployments across various operators and regions around the world,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We will continue to work together to ensure end users have access to the technologies needed to experience transformative 5G experiences.”

“These key milestone tests with Qualcomm Technologies show the flexibility and capabilities of our AirScale radio access technology to deliver on the promise of commercial 5G,” said Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks, Nokia. “We continue to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies to ensure our customers can unleash the power of their commercial 5G networks, to support the many new and diverse applications that will meet the demands of people and connected things, as they begin to launch commercial services in early 2019.”

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm invents breakthrough technologies that transform how the world computes, connects and communicates. When we connected the phone to the Internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our inventions are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As we lead the world to 5G, we envision this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT — including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, the QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit http://www.qualcomm.com/.

About Nokia
We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.

We adhere to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity. Nokia is enabling the infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things to transform the human experience. For more information, visit www.nokia.com.

Source: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.