Qualcomm powers Samsung, Sharp and Sony devices featuring 5G Standalone Dual Connectivity compatible with NTT DoCoMo network
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo in December activated a 5G Standalone (SA) network using both mmWave and mid-band frequencies. Users with compatible devices can now use 5G NR Dual Connectivity (DC) capabilities which aggregate the high- and mid-band frequencies providing a boost to download and upload speeds.
NTT DoCoMo worked with NEC to deploy the 5G SA network, migrating 5G NonStadanlone basestations to SA mode via a software update. The compatriot firms have also gone through interoperability testing for 5G SA centralized and distributed units that conform to O-RAN Alliance specifications.
Devices that support the 5G NR DC feature—all using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform—include the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Sharp AQUOS R7 and the Sony Xperia 1 IV. In a press note, Qualcomm said the combination of mmWave and sub-6 GHz is delivering up to 4.9 Gbps download speeds and 1.1 Gbps upload speeds.
Notably, all four Japanese mobile network operators—KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, Rakuten Mobile and Softbank—have all commercialized mmWave 5G spectrum having deployed a combined 20,000 mmWave base stations.
NTT DoCoMo’s EVP and CTO Naoki Tani said in a statement, “This technology allows our customers to enjoy high-speed mobile broadband, both on uplink and downlink, achieving above 1 Gbps.”
Qualcomm called out the ability of 5G SA to help better serve “enterprise and IoT settings and use cases, including network slicing technology.”
With regard to 5G mmWave, NTT DoCoMo is working on improving in-building connectivity with intelligent surfaces that reflect mmWave signals to effectively follow mobile devices. The company described the “metasurface” as having a “user-tracking function to deliver radio waves even in places where the basestation antenna is not directly visible due to obstructing objects.
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