The FSM100xx 10nm 5G Solution supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave Spectrum Bands and is optimized for Small Cell and Remote Radio Head Deployments. This new small cell product will support 5G NR in both mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum building up from the successful FSM Platform for 3G and 4G small cell.
Small cell densification, which is already under way for 4G, is likewise expected to be a critical component of 5G network deployments and FSM100xx readies the industry to develop powerful and uniform 5G user experiences, taking advantage of the full range of 5G spectrum types.
The solution has been designed to let OEMs re-use both software and hardware designs across sub-6 GHz and mmWave products supporting high bandwidth and robust coverage for mobile subscribers around the globe.
It is interesting to mention that the FSM100xx is manufactured in 10nm and Fudzilla has already reported that the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem comes in the same 10nm manufacturing node. As you should know by now 10nm will enable superior power consumption and performance for the critical outdoor deployment and overcoming challenging indoor scenarios.
5G NR comes with high frequencies with mmWave all the way up to 38GHz where the waves have trouble penetrating obstacles, but at the same time 5G NR has a great propagation characteristic. The higher the frequency, the higher the possible bandwidth.
The FSM100xx solution scales to address outdoor small cell performance requirements such as support for MIMO implementation and multi-gigabit throughput, as well as support indoor requirements such as compact form factor and power over ethernet (PoE) support.
The FSM100xx also includes a software defined modem, designed to facilitate OEMs to readily upgrade their devices to comply with future 3GPP releases.
Additionally, this 5G NR solution supports various options for interface splits between central unit (CU) and remote radio head, providing OEMs and operators with the flexibility to use a 5G radio access network architecture that best fits their needs, such as a virtualized 5G architecture that is designed to deliver scalability through the cloud or a more distributed architecture to ease fronthaul requirements.
The FSM100xx solution is expected to begin sampling in 2019 and Qualcomm is working with early access customers as we speak.
Irvind Ghai, VP, product management at Qualcomm, said:
“Qualcomm Technologies is leading the world to 5G by providing this 5G NR small cell solution to support 5G NR in both sub-6Hz and mmWave spectrum. With small cells expected to play a critical role in 5G networks, we are happy to announce our highly flexible FSM100xx solution capable of supporting a wide range of use case and deployment models, and to support our customers to deliver on the promise of 5G.”
