The South Korean electronics manufacturer has announced a new modem chipset. Samsung’s latest Exynos Modem 5100 is the first 5G modem in the world that is fully compatible with the current 3GPP standards.
The Exynos Modem 5100 complies with the latest Release 15 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). This applies to the 5G New Radio specification and the Modem is built using the very efficient 10-nm process technology. The Modem is also backward compatible, which means that it will support legacy radio technology as well.
So, if you have a device that has this modem, but there are no 5G networks around you, then the modem can connect to 3G, 4G LTE, 2G, CDMA, and so on. Samsung carried out a test with the new modem and it was a success. It placed a 5G-NR data call over the air using a 5G station and a smartphone prototype that was embedded with the Exynos Modem 5100 chip.
The company is working with several carriers around the world to bring 5G connectivity to the masses. In July Samsung launched a new 8GB LPDDR5 RAM unit that had a 6.4Gbps data rate. This RAM is supposed to be used alongside the 5G modem. Dr. Inyup Kang, the president and head of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics stated;
“Samsung’s leadership in communication technologies and market-proven knowledge allowed us to develop the industry’s first 5G modem, the Exynos Modem 5100, which fully complies with the latest 3GPP standards. As the industry prepares the shift toward 5G, Samsung will continue to drive the growth of innovative ideas and new services in mobile applications and other emerging industries.”
The faster RAM will improve the data transmission and speed when on a 5G network. Most carriers will be using already available infrastructure to deploy 5G. Therefore, the 5100 Modem will be great for commercialisation as it is a single chip unit with legacy support.
As per Samsung’s claim, the new modem can deliver a maximum download speed of around 2Gbps, which is quite faster than the 4G speeds. The modem gets faster download speeds when used with the mmWave settings, where it can deliver up to 6Gbps.
There are plenty of advantages of the 5G network, thanks to its faster speed, ability to transfer large amounts of data, and more. The improvements can be expected in several fields apart from mobile. The (IoT) Internet of Things can gain a lot from 5G speeds, and you can also transfer UHD videos much faster. 5G could also be beneficial to AI systems and in self-driving vehicles.
Samsung stated in a press release that it plans on making the 5G modem available to customers by this year end. Although, rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S10 getting a 5G chipset might be true, we can expect the technology to make it to phones much earlier. Perhaps a mid-range smartphone could be the first to get the 5G technology. Other manufacturers are also shifting their focus to 5G. Motorola recently announced the Moto Z3 with the 5G Moto Mod. And Lenovo also stated that it would be the first company to install a 5G modem in a smartphone.
In India, it is going to take a couple of years for the 5G network to become standard. It is expected to go live around 2020, and BSNL might be the first to launch the service.
