How Qualcomm is making the sub-$99 Gigabit 5G smartphone a reality

The growth of 5G has been astounding. Working together with our industry partners, we’ve seen 5G expand to 1.4 billion connections since it launched five years ago. And it’s only accelerating. Within the next decade it’s estimated that 5G will overtake 4G LTE by over 2 billion connections. 

Now, you might have seen how Qualcomm is continuing to lead and push 5G forward at this year’s Mobile World Congress, but I’d like to take a moment to share another important way we’re fulfilling our mission to drive intelligent computing everywhere. Because “everywhere” means more than just the edge. 

To bring 5G to billions more people, we need technology that’s innovative and accessible. That’s how we measure innovation at Qualcomm: Reimagining what is possible, and ensuring that it’s within reach for everyone. 

One of the most crucial ways that we can bring 5G to billions is make it more affordable. Today, I’m proud to announce that Qualcomm has developed a series of technologies to create a gigabit 5G smartphone for under $99. That’s right, gigabit speeds at a fraction of the cost. 

We estimate that a sub-$99 5G smartphone could bring 5G to as many as 2.8 billion people, based on GSMA data. That’s truly massive. With a single device, billions more could soon have access to 5X faster data speeds compared to 4G LTE. That means better, more reliable access to essential services like healthcare, banking and emergency aid. It also opens up untold possibilities for businesses, communities and people.  

Now, you might be wondering how is this possible? We don’t just engineer for lead innovation. We engineer for innovation and cost efficiency. That comes from meticulously evaluating what technologies our partners need to innovate, while always keeping cost-effectiveness in mind. That gives us a level of flexibility and adaptability to work with our partners so they can deliver products that consumers want. 

An example of this, and a key breakthrough technology to realize the $99 Gigabit 5G smartphone, is something we call SA-2Rx. By changing the number of receive antennas from four to two on a standalone network, we can reduce costs without significant performance impact. It’s an incredible accomplishment, and a real step towards massively expanding 5G adoption around the world.

The $99 Gigabit 5G smartphone is soon to be a reality. Later this year, Qualcomm is set to launch a dedicated low-cost customized processor using SA-2Rx capability, capable of gigabit speeds on a 5G network. I can’t wait to share more, and help our partners create mobile devices that are going to usher in billions of people into a 5G world. That’s how we drive intelligent computing everywhere.