Samsung, Qualcomm complete 1024 QAM tests for FDD and TDD bands

Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm Technologies have achieved a milestone in wireless communication technology by completing the 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) tests for Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands.

This marks the industry's first accomplishment of 1024 QAM for the FDD band. By using 20MHz bandwidth, the companies achieved a downlink speed of 485Mbps - more than a 20% increase over the speeds achievable with the currently widespread 256 QAM.

QAM is an advanced modulation technology to transmit data or information more efficiently. While 256 QAM is widely used in commercial networks, the two companies recently accomplished the latest 1024 QAM defined in 3GPP Release 17 specifications.

The enhanced QAM technology is particularly beneficial for applications requiring high data rates, such as live video streaming and online multiplayer gaming, which demand higher download speeds.

"We are honored to have collaborated with Samsung on this industry's first achievement. This accomplishment showcases our unwavering commitment to supporting operators in their efforts to enhance 5G throughput and boost spectral efficiency. By leveraging advanced QAM technology, we are empowering operators to maximize spectrum resources and deliver seamless, high-speed mobile services to 5G users," said Sunil Patil, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The tests were carried out in Samsung's R&D lab in Korea, using Samsung's 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) software and radios that support 2.1GHz for FDD and 3.5GHz for TDD, along with a mobile phone form-factor test device equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System.

Looking ahead, Samsung plans to complete its ongoing tests of 1024 QAM in traditional RAN, and the technology is expected to be commercially available within this year.

Commenting on this achievement, Ji-Yun Seol, Vice President, Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said, "We believe enhancing spectral efficiency is essential in developing next-generation solutions. This achievement underscores Samsung's ongoing commitment to push forward the frontiers of mobile technology."