Samsung and Qualcomm paired to validate a more powerful 5G fixed-wireless access (FWA) technology over a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) set-up.

Samsung Networks
– Giacomo Lee/SDxCentral

The test involved the 3GPP Power Class 1 (PC1) standard that defines how strongly a device can transmit its signal, with a lower-class number indicating a higher output power. The higher the power, the better the signal quality, and the further the network is able to reach.

PC1 is tipped to be a key factor in pushing the FWA user experience by offering fiber-like uplink speeds and reducing bottlenecks. Samsung highlights its importance as demand for uplink surges due to the rise of data- and time-intensive services like physical AI, autonomous systems, and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR).

The test was carried out at Samsung's labs utilizing the vendor's vRAN stack, 3.7 GHz massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radios, and Qualcomm’s X85 chipset-equipped test device.

The test found that PC1 was able to deliver up to 10-times higher uplink throughput at the cell-edge compared to the PC1.5 standard. The test was also able to extend coverage by up to 40% more with PC1.

Samsung added that it expects this feature to be commercially available next year.

“As networks continue to evolve and support more AI-driven services, high-performance wireless infrastructure becomes more essential,” Eun Yong Kim, head of air technology and networks business at Samsung Electronics, noted.

“With its higher transmission power, PC1 technology expands both the performance and reach of FWA devices,” Gautam Sheoran, SVP and GM for connectivity, broadband, and networking at Qualcomm, added.

Work with a tier-one US carrier

Samsung added that it has also conducted field tests using the technology on a tier-one U.S. operator's network, but didn't name the carrier.

Samsung does have long-standing relationships with a number of potential names depending on “tier” expectations, this includes Verizon, Comcast, and UScellular, the last of which was recently acquired by T-Mobile US. Samsung was also part of EchoStar’s Dish Wireless 5G-based vRAN program, which is now in the process of being disassembled.

Samsung’s work with Verizon is the most extensive, with their 5G-related work dating back nearly a decade. That work also includes a vRAN-specific relationship with Verizon going back to early this decade, which has coincidently included support from Intel and Wind River, and has run up to Verizon’s recent launch of its 6G Innovation Forum.

Dan Meyer contributed to this story