Qualcomm to democratise 5G in India with a chip aimed at sub-$99 smartphone

Qualcomm aims to extend 5G accessibility to 2.8 billion users globally. As per the company's statement, the inaugural product featuring the chip is slated for release in the latter half of this year

American semiconductor entity Qualcomm has announced plans to introduce a 5G chip targeted at entry-level smartphones within the sub-$99 price bracket. Committing to gigabit 5G speeds, the chip will facilitate 2-antenna 5G standalone (SA-2Rx) solution, enabling up to 5 times peak speeds compared to 4G within this price category. With the chip's deployment, the company aims to extend 5G accessibility to 2.8 billion users globally. As per the company's statement, the inaugural product featuring the chip is slated for release in the latter half of this year.

India purportedly ranks among the first few nations scheduled to receive a smartphone powered by Qualcomm's SA-2Rx solution. According to a report on Money Control, Qualcomm is collaborating with India’s leading telecom operator, Reliance Jio, and select original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop the smartphone based on its entry-level chip.

Qualcomm unveiled plans to develop a 5G chip tailored for entry-tier smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, US. Concurrently, the American semiconductor entity disclosed its latest advancements in on-device artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent computing, and wireless connectivity products. It introduced the Qualcomm AI Hub, serving as a repository of pre-optimised AI models for deployment on devices powered by Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms.

Additionally, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System, touted as its most sophisticated modem-to-antenna platform to date, featuring fully integrated NB-NTN satellite communications support for connectivity to non-terrestrial networks.

Qualcomm also presented the Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 chip, its inaugural connectivity solution integrating Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ultra Wideband technologies onto a single chip. Engineered on a 6nm design, the chip boasts Wi-Fi 7 support, with commercial availability anticipated in the latter half of 2024.

Beyond the aforementioned, Qualcomm provided a sneak peek at multimodal AI models on Android phones and Windows PCs, both powered by its Snapdragon platforms. It also showcased generative AI features on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powered devices from partners such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and HONOR.