At its 5G Summit Wednesday, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 778G 5G mobile platform for high-tier smartphones; plug-and-play 5G cards to spur 5G adoption in PCs, tablets and routers; and upgrades to its X65 5G model-RF system in anticipation of 5G millimeter-wave rollouts in China. The 778G 5G mobile platform, designed for smartphones from Honor, iQoo, Motorola, Oppo, Realme and Xiaomi, is geared to mobile gaming and has advanced AI for photos and videos, Qualcomm said. The X65 and X62 5G M.2 reference designs for PCs, always-connected PCs, laptops, customer premises equipment, extended reality, gaming and other mobile broadband devices, support 5G sub-6 GHz spectrum and extended-range mmWave, said the company. Their form factor allows OEMs to reduce time to launch for high-performance 5G-enabled products, it said. The Snapdragon X65 supports spectrum aggregation of up to 1 GHz of mmWave spectrum and 300 MHz of sub-6 GHz spectrum for frequency division duplex and time division duplex systems, said the chipmaker. Upgrades to the 5G modem-to-antenna solution, announced in February, include improved power efficiency and support for wider mmWave carriers, it said.

Vodafone launched 5G services in 240 cities in 10 European markets during fiscal 2021 ended March 31, reported the carrier Tuesday. It said it did so "by focusing on our core fixed and mobile connectivity. We are enhancing our products through capacity and speed upgrades, unlimited mobile plans, a distinct tiered branding hierarchy and convergent product bundles.” Vodafone in April became the first operator in Europe to launch a stand-alone 5G network, it said.

MediaTek’s new Dimensity 900 5G chipset supports Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, 4K video with HDR10+ and a 108-megapixel main camera, said the chipmaker Thursday: The 6-nanometer Dimensity 900, targeted for “high-tier” 5G-enabled smartphones, is embedded with an “HDR-native” image signal processor and a “hardware-accelerated” 4K HDR video recording engine that supports up to four “concurrent cameras.” MediaTek expects the Bluetooth 5.2-compatible chipset will be deployed in 5G smartphones reaching the market starting in 2021's second half.

The announcement by UScellular, Qualcomm, Ericsson and Inseego Thursday of sustained uplink and downlink speeds over 5G millimeter wave on a commercial network is “a huge milestone in addressing the ‘last mile’ connectivity challenge,” said ABI Research analyst Khin Sandi Lynn. Only 81% of U.S. households are connected to fixed broadband access, she said. Multi-gigabit speeds over mmWave will benefit consumers and businesses, supporting the increased broadband demand since COVID-19, Lynn said: “The solution solves the limited propagation characteristic of mmWave and will accelerate deployments of fixed wireless access services in rural and underserved areas and contribute to achieving broadband for all.” Speeds were reached at 7 kilometers, the farthest U.S. 5G mmWave FWA connection, with sustained average downlinks of about 1 Gbps, sustained average uplink speeds of about 55 Mbps and instantaneous peak downlinks at more than 2 Gbps, said the companies. At 1.75 km with no line of sight, average downlink speeds reached about 730 Mbps, with sustained average uplinks of 38 Mbps on UScellular’s network in Janesville, Wisconsin. Tests were done with Ericsson’s Antenna Integrated Radio 5322 advanced antenna system, with an Inseego Wavemaker 5G outdoor CPE FW2010 powered by Qualcomm.

AT&T is introducing “super-fast” 5G+ service to Lumen Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, said the carrier Thursday. 5G+ is AT&T's name for millimeter-wave 5G it said is “ideal for high-traffic areas.” The service will be available to subscribers with compatible devices and qualifying wireless plans, plus to first responders on FirstNet, it said. AT&T 5G+ is available in parts of 38 cities and more than 20 U.S. venues, it said. The service isn't available in “all parts” of Lumen Field, it said.

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel marked the two-year anniversary Monday of Prague 5G Security Conference principles (see 1905030052). “The FCC has made real progress in advancing many of the recommendations,” she said: “But I am reminded every day that we still have more work to do to ensure that our 5G future is safe and secure for all.” Working with allies and multilateral institutions “can multiply our strength" globally, she said.

Public interest groups and the Rural Wireless Association asked the FCC Monday to look to Communications Act authority to prevent T-Mobile from closing its CDMA network by year-end (see 2104140036). Dish Network says closure would harm its Boost customers that Dish acquired as part of T-Mobile buying Sprint. “Exercise its general authority under Section 201(b)3 and its general authority under Title II, Title III and other relevant provisions to protect Boost and rural carrier subscribers from disruption,” the letter asked. “Sunset of aging 2G/3G networks, like the Analog Sunset and other industry-wide transitions before it, has the potential to bring enormous benefits to the public. Also like the transitions before it, it will require the FCC to ensure that the transition does not result in unintended consumer harms.” Public Knowledge, the Open Technology Institute at New America, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, the Center for Rural Strategies, X-Labs, the Greenlining Institute and TURN-The Utility Reform Network signed. “This transition is absolutely in the best interest of the public, especially those consumers who are stuck using an antiquated network,” a T-Mobile spokesperson said: “There are no barriers preventing DISH from taking great care of their Boost customers during the CDMA sunset, just as we are doing with our Sprint customers.”

5G broadcast Release 16 moves technology forward and is a continuing Qualcomm focus, Lorenzo Casaccia, Qualcomm Europe vice president-technical standards, blogged Friday. “We envisioned 5G as a unified platform that can connect diverse devices, services, and deployments,” he said: “5G broadcast in Release 16 is defined to do so by supporting two distinct modes: 5G standalone broadcast and mixed-mode multicast.” The standard supports “a wide set of applications, from delivering linear TV services and new immersive experiences … to facilitating public safety communication, better automotive safety, and more,” he said.

Terrestrial wireless interests, think tanks and others formed the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition to push for opening the band to terrestrial mobile service, they said Wednesday. Members include Incompas, Public Knowledge, Dish Network, RS Access, New America's Open Technology Institute, Federated Wireless and the Rural Wireless Association. Incompas CEO Chip Pickering and Joe Lockhart, who was President Bill Clinton's press secretary, are co-chairmen.

Delta Air Lines will equip its more than 19,000 flight attendants with the 5G iPhone 12, AT&T said Wednesday: Attendants will use the phones' augmented reality capabilities to inventory in-cabin supplies and “perform critical tasks -- from safety checks to passenger assistance.”