Qualcomm has developed a 5G New Radio (NR) prototype system and trial platform, designed to test, demonstrate and trial 5G designs towards the 3GPP 5G NR standardization. 5G will make the best use of a wide range of spectrum bands, and utilizing spectrum bands below 6 GHz is a critical part of allowing for flexible deployments with ubiquitous network coverage and a wide range of use cases. Designs implemented on the prototype system are being utilized to drive 3GPP standardization for a new, OFDM-based 5G NR air interface. The prototype system will track 3GPP progress to help achieve timely 5G NR trials with mobile operators, infrastructure vendors, and other industry players, as well as future 5G NR commercial network launches.

The 5G NR system consists of both a base station and user equipment (UE), serving as a testbed for verifying 5G NR capabilities. It supports wide RF bandwidths over 100 MHz, capable of delivering multi-gigabit per second data rates. It also supports a new integrated subframe design for lower over-the-air latency than what is possible in today’s 4G LTE network.

Qualcomm will be showcasing the prototype system publicly for the first time at Mobile World Congress Shanghai from June 29 to July 1 at the China Mobile Communications Corporations booth as part of their ongoing collaboration.