Qualcomm Introduces First 10Gbps WiFi Chips

Qualcomm recently introduced a family of 10Gbps WiFi chipsets operating on the 60GHz  spectrum. The QCA64x8 and QCA64x1 are touted to deliver tremendous network speeds with wire-equivalent latency while at the same time set new standards in low-power benchmarks.

It might sound too good to be true, but with Qualcomm’s newest 60GHz WiFi portfolio it just might be possible. The company is the first-to-market with a 60GHz WiFi solution based on the 802.11ay specification. The specification is meant for transmission rates of 20–40 Gbps and an extended transmission distance of 300–500 meters.

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“Qualcomm Technologies is leading the charge with both its Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem family and unlicensed 60GHz WiFi mmWave solution,” said Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager, connectivity and networking, Qualcomm Technologies.

The industry-first family of 11ay 60GHz WiFi chipsets includes QCA6438 and QCA6428 for infrastructure and fixed wireless access, and the QCA6421 and QCA6431 for mobile applications.

Laying the infrastructure for Enterprise-level use

Earlier this year, Qualcomm Technologies, and Facebook announced they are working together to deliver high-speed internet connectivity with Facebook’s Terragraph technology through the development of a multi-node wireless system based on the QCA6438 and QCA6428 chipsets.

Distinct from the 2.4 and 5GHz bands commonly used in WiFi networks all over the world, mmWave-based 60GHz 10Gbps WiFi is a low interference, bandwidth-rich spectrum that delivers increased wireless capacity, multi-gigabit speeds, and ultra-low latency. These attributes make 60GHz WiFi ideally suited across a wide range of wireless ecosystems spanning mobile, enterprise, outdoor backhaul, and the smart home.

Empowered by double-digit gigabit-per-second speeds, this new family of solutions provides wire-equivalent latencies enabling new and exciting gaming and entertainment experiences such as 4K streaming, virtually lag-free mobile screen casting to an entertainment system and truly immersive wireless virtual and augmented reality experiences, all while providing high power efficiency to significantly extend battery life.

Qualcomm partners express great confidence in the new technologies

“Our latest line of Republic of Gamers (ROG) mobile devices are designed specifically to meet these high-performance mobile gaming needs while leveraging Qualcomm Technologies’ existing 60GHz WiFi solutions.  We are happy to see Qualcomm Technologies continue their innovation on 60GHz WiFi technology,” said Bryan Chang, General Manager of ASUS Mobile Business Unit.

Signature attributes of 60GHz WiFi go far beyond high performance throughput, as Qualcomm Technologies’ new chipsets enable unique, always-on ambient WiFi sensing capabilities, enabling devices to identify people, objects, movements and precise location without being affected by light conditions. Networking and mobile devices alike can take advantage of these new WiFi sensing features to provide new and differentiated experiences to end users.

“802.11ay brings unprecedented connectivity for wireless devices, providing the best-to-date alternative to cable and fiber,” said John Tully, chief executive officer, MikroTik. “Qualcomm Technologies’ new family of 11ay 60GHz WiFi solutions helps us enable countless new use cases across the Enterprise”.