Qualcomm Answers Surging Connectivity Demand with Comprehensive New Portfolio of Wi-Fi 6E Networking Platforms

With networks pressured more than ever by simultaneous work and school-from-home, surging on-demand video streaming, and latency sensitive real-time gaming, newly opened 6 GHz spectrum is the solution to meet the moment. Ready with solutions to help manufacturers leverage this new technology, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated,  today announced four new Qualcomm® Networking Pro Series Platforms supporting Wi-Fi 6E, extending its signature Wi-Fi 6 feature set into the 6 GHz band designed to deliver multi-gigabit speeds, high bandwidth and a surge in low latency network capacity.

The latest platforms introduce Qualcomm^® Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6, offering simultaneous operation in 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz frequency bands. Setting a new industry benchmark for scalability and performance, the Qualcomm Networking Pro Series Platforms are the first to offer support for up to 2,000 simultaneous users while designed to deliver full network capacity in an unprecedented 16-stream Wi-Fi 6E configuration. Choosing from four scalable Wi-Fi 6E offerings, manufacturers can develop products with applications ranging from home Wi-Fi mesh systems to enterprise access points targeting business, large-venue, and campus networks.

“Leveraging decades of focused research and development, our second-generation Wi-Fi 6 platforms set a new performance benchmark for home and enterprise networking applications,” said Nick Kucharewski, vice president and general manager, wireless infrastructure and networking, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “With Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 and scaling to 16 streams, Qualcomm Networking Pro Series Platforms pair wireless expertise with robust architecture designed to deliver Gigabit speeds, massive capacity, and stable-as-wire reliability our customers depend on.”

“The new 6 GHz band and Wi-Fi 6E standard ushers in a new age in wireless connectivity – a dramatic advance in performance and a new paradigm in wireless networking. Industry-leading Wi-Fi 6E technology – including Qualcomm’s new Wi-Fi 6E platforms – will transform every use case segment, from home to the enterprise, industrial applications, and even fixed wireless access, with new unbelievable applications sure to follow. The Wi-Fi 6E future looks very bright indeed,” said Claus Hetting, CEO & Chairman, Wi-Fi Now.

“Wi-Fi Alliance® members have mobilized around 6 GHz in an unprecedented way, and we’re excited to see Wi-Fi 6E solutions rapidly coming to market with the availability of new unlicensed spectrum in the U.S.,” said Kevin Robinson, Senior VP of Marketing, Wi-Fi Alliance. “Solutions like these from Qualcomm will help users fully experience Wi-Fi® in 6 GHz and quickly benefit from faster speeds, higher capacity, and lower latency applications.”

Qualcomm Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 expands the capabilities of the Qualcomm Networking Pro Series portfolio, whose hallmark is the delivery of consistent high performance in the most densely congested environments:

• Qualcomm^® Max User Architecture: Industry-first architecture to manage and maintain connectivity for up to 2,000 clients simultaneously, with network stability and sustained throughput.
• Qualcomm^® Multi-User Traffic Management: Provides advanced scheduling algorithms and buffering with universal uplink data support. Advanced multi-user implementations specialized for high user counts include up to 37-user OFDMA support per channel and 8-user MU-MIMO support per channel.
• Qualcomm® 4K QAM technology: Designed to deliver 20% higher throughput compared to standard Wi-Fi 6E, helping achieve device-to-device transfers of up to 2.4 Gbps per link to compatible mobile and compute devices.  
• Qualcomm® Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 for Mesh Networks: Qualcomm® Wi-Fi SON has been enhanced to interconnect the Mesh Nodes using the 6 GHz band.
• Qualcomm^® Wi-Fi Security Suite: Comprehensive WPA3 implementation coupled with state-of-the-art embedded crypto accelerators designed to provide secure transactions across a full range of Wi-Fi data touchpoints.

Four New Qualcomm Networking Pro Series Platforms

The second-generation Qualcomm Networking Pro Series spans four, tiered platforms designed to provide OEMs with maximum flexibility through a unified platform architecture. Each platform leverages Qualcomm Technologies’ comprehensive Wi-Fi 6 and 6E feature implementation. The four platforms include:

• Qualcomm Networking Pro 1610: Supports up to 16 streams of Wi-Fi 6/E connectivity, a 2.2 GHz Quad-core A53 processor, 8×8 support for huge multi-user gain, and 10.8 Gbps peak speed.
• Qualcomm Networking Pro 1210: Supports up to 12 streams of Wi-Fi 6/E connectivity, a 2.2 GHz Quad-core A53 processor, and 8.4 Gbps peak speed.
• Qualcomm Networking Pro 810: Supports up to 8 streams of Wi-Fi 6/E connectivity, a 1.8 GHz Quad-core A53 processor, and 6.6 Gbps peak speed.
• Qualcomm Networking Pro 610: Supports up to 6 streams of Wi-Fi 6/E connectivity, a 1.8 GHz Quad-core A53 processor, and 5.4 Gbps peak speed*.

Quotes
“Aruba’s enterprise customers demand high-performance, reliable and secure Wi-Fi connectivity solutions that can be scaled to deliver extreme density and capacity. Through our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, we’ve utilized their advanced Wi-Fi technology to continuously evolve the seamless, connected experiences that our customers demand,” said Onno Harms, senior director of Product Management for WLAN Platforms at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. “The newly opened 6 GHz spectrum and the advent of Wi-Fi 6E are important industry milestones that promise to usher in a new wave of Wi-Fi innovation that will bring exceptional wireless experiences to life.”

“We see this announcement from Qualcomm Technologies as a positive step forward in what’s possible for networking across the industry,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products and Services for NETGEAR. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies as we incorporate the Networking Pro Series to deliver robust and seamless experiences that enable us to expand the ecosystem.”

“Our recent announcement highlighting CommScope’s RUCKUS Wi-Fi 6 Certified access points is a great example of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for wireless communications. Integrating the Qualcomm Technologies Networking Pro Series platform into the RUCKUS portfolio enables customers to benefit from the latest improvements in security, speed and Wi-Fi connectivity, creating a more powerful and robust product that will strengthen the rich suite of solutions available in the industry,” said Pramod Badjate, senior vice president for CommScope’s RUCKUS portfolio.

Qualcomm Networking Pro Series platforms are shipping now with commercial availability expected this year.

For more information about our Wi-Fi 6E products, visit qualcomm.com/wi-fi-6e

*All peak speeds refer to maximum physical layer (PHY) rate.

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G.  When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born.  Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone.  We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.