#2 MWC Shanghai: CEO Steve Mollenkopf discusses 5G and expanding the mobile ecosystem

5G is going to transform the way we live, work, and communicate with one another. The next generation of connectivity will greatly expand our mobile ecosystem, and this diverse range of devices will require the scale, speed, and complexity 5G promises. New industries will be born, spurring exciting, new innovation and invention. This was one of the major themes of CEO Steve Mollenkopf’s keynote at the 2017 Mobile World Congress Shanghai.

In his speech, Mollenkopf cited The 5G Economy, an independent research study we commissioned that dives into the global, economic, and social impacts of 5G. The study confirmed that 5G will affect entire economies and benefit societies: In 2035, multiple industries could produce up to $12 trillion in goods and services, all thanks to 5G. The 5G value chain in China, Korea and Japan, which includes network operators, OEMs, and wireless technology providers is expected to yield $1.6 trillion in economic impact and 12.5 million jobs by 2035.

Here are more highlights from Mollenkopf’s keynote:

LTE Advanced Pro is the foundation, Gigabit LTE is the anchor, for 5G

The path to 5G starts with a strong LTE foundation, Mollenkopf explained. LTE Advanced Pro is the next phase in the evolution of LTE, delivering Gigabit-class performance that 5G will build on to enable even faster data rates and a more uniform, reliable user experience.

The anchor of the 5G mobile experience is Gigabit LTE. As the next major advancement in mobile connectivity, Gigabit LTE will provide fiber-optic download speeds of up-to 1.2 Gbps. These high speeds will enable immersive virtual reality, real-time augmented reality, rich media, instant applications, and always-on cloud access — all of which require speeds of over 100 Mbps. Mollenkopf mentioned that Gigabit LTE is available now in the Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 modem, which is integrated into the Snapdragon 835 mobile platform, and in the Snapdragon X20 modem.

Qualcomm Technologies is also driving the evolution of LTE to support a wide range of IoT use cases, said Mollenkopf. These include higher throughput applications, such as connected health care and object tracking; and low-power devices, such as utility meters and smart buildings. By scaling LTE to connect the massive IoT, cities — along with the devices within them — can become smarter and more efficient.

Qualcomm Technologies announced Snapdragon Wear 1200, a new wearables platform that takes advantage of LTE IoT to help usher in a new generation of ultra-low power, highly energy efficient, always connected, and cost-efficient experiences to targeted purpose wearable devices such as kid, pet, elderly, and fitness trackers. This new platform complements the existing Snapdragon Wear 1100 and Snapdragon Wear 2100 platforms, and further positions Qualcomm Technologies for continued momentum and leadership across the smart wearables industries.

Mollenkopf also noted that in order to deliver the fiber-like speeds, low latency, and uniform experiences that 5G NR promises, Qualcomm Technologies is committed to continually innovate. We’re focused on delivering new ways to connect, which, in turn, can provide greater opportunities for industries to invent. Support for mmWave and sub-6GHz, as well as the expansion of unlicensed spectrum with Licensed Assisted Access, or LAA, and MulteFire, will broaden the mobile ecosystem for innovation.

Advancing the future of smart connected cars

At the event, Qualcomm Technologies and Geely Auto Group announced that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Automotive platform was selected for Geely’s upcoming generation of infotainment systems in its vehicles. These systems include the world’s first-announced infotainment offering with an integrated 4G LTE modem using the Snapdragon 820Am automotive variant of the platform.

Snapdragon 820A is designed to support immersive experiences like music and video streaming, 3D navigation, multiple high-resolution display, and superior GPU performance — all within the car. The Snapdragon 820Am also integrates the X12 LTE modem, engineered to support up to 600 Mbps downlink and 150 Mbps uplink speeds. With such a powerful modem, the platform can provide cloud connectivity that supports navigation with real-time updates, news information, emergency assistance, and diagnostics. Geely Auto Group vehicles featuring the Snapdragon 820A/Am automotive platform are expected to be available in 2020.

Throughout its history, Qualcomm has been a pioneer in the mobile ecosystem, but we haven’t worked alone. In 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, and now 5G, we’ve collaborated with manufacturers and operators around the world to deploy leading solutions and develop the technologies that will shape the future of mobile… and we’re just getting started.