Qualcomm & Ericsson announce world's first successful data call on the band intended for US-wide 5G

A collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Ericsson has resulted in a successful 5G data-call in the United States. This inaugural call was conducted using mobile-device components from the former and a commercial-grade radio from the former.

This achievement is rendered more significant by the fact that it was done over the 600MHz band that the carrier T-Mobile (in whose Bellevue, Washington lab the call was conducted) intends to use in order to roll the next-generation data-transmission standard out to the entire continental United States.

Furthermore, this experiment was completed using the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G modem. As this is the second generation of such technology, it is likely to be integrated into devices with that slight, but potentially significant, edge in terms of 5G implementation and use.

The call also integrated radiofrequency (RF) transceiver and front-end (or RFFE) modules from Qualcomm, whereas Ericsson Radio Systems provided the 5G radio necessary for the test. T-Mobile's 600MHz band is seen as more robust in terms of signal permeation through obstacles and of coverage compared to other 5G modalities, such as sub-6GHz and mmWave.

Then again, the X55 modem is rated to handle all of these band types. Therefore, it could be compatible with either the single-band 5G network planned by T-Mobile (in the event of the collapse of its possible merger with Sprint) and its multi-mode counterparts that might be implemented elsewhere.