Qualcomm has released its first chipsets for Wi-Fi in the 60 GHz band. The QCA64x8 and QCA64x1 series deliver 10+ Gbps speeds and wired-equivalent latency, as well as extended device battery life, the vendor said. They are expected to support new applications such as UHD video streaming, VR/AR, mobile screen casting and fixed wireless mesh backhaul.
Qualcomm said it's the first-to-market with a 60GHz Wi-Fi product with optimizations based on the 802.11ay specification. The 11ay products were developed with the flexibility to support a broad ecosystem of smartphone, router or fixed wireless access platforms. The QCA6438 and QCA6428 target the infrastructure and fixed wireless access segments, and the QCA6421 and QCA6431 are for mobile applications.
One of the first applications for the chips is Facebook’s Terragraph technology, with the development of a multi-node wireless system based on the QCA6438 and QCA6428 chipsets. Separately, Deutsche Telekom released at the TIP Summit in London the results of its test in Hungary of the Terragraph technology, showing it offers a commercially viable system for delivering gigabit broadband speeds at lower cost than fibre. Telekom plans to publish a RFI for the 60 GHz fixed-wireless technology.
Qualcomm also see uses in the telemetry market, as the chipsets enable unique, always-on ambient Wi-Fi sensing capabilities, enabling devices to identify people, objects, movements and precise location without being affected by light conditions.
