Range and cost have arguably the most important impact on the development and deployment of 5G mmWave infrastructure, and their influence is intertwined:

• The longer the range, the fewer the base stations needed for a coverage area, and therefore, the lower the cost. 
• The lower the per-unit equipment cost, the bigger the distance covered per mmWave investment. 

When we started to plan our new Qualcomm Compact Macro 5G RAN platform, we set out to tackle priority cost and range metrics for mass-scale outdoor mmWave infra deployments. After all, what could be more aligned to taking mmWave coverage to the next level than macro-class performance with streamlined design that’s more akin to outdoor small cells — especially when we’re experts at both?

By harnessing small cell expertise of Qualcomm FSM 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells, we facilitate lower base-station cost per unit with streamlined, high-performance, cost-effective, and energy efficient designs. Plus, our macro-grade antenna module delivers long-range mmWave coverage supporting 256 antenna elements, up to 60dBm of peak EIRP, and up to 1 GHz of spectrum. 

Add in our world-renowned end-to-end 5G mmWave leadership, and that is a compelling combo that provides our customers with a highly differentiated cost-to-performance equation for a new class of outdoor mmWave deployments with compact macro cells.

According to our analysis, by evolving the Qualcomm FSM 5G RAN Platform for Small Cells and boosting the range to 240 percent with macro-grade antenna module, the compact macro platform facilitates an up to 50 percent base station equipment cost reduction for a given coverage area, compared to similar mmWave macro solutions. 

Here’s how it works:

This is another great example of how Qualcomm is making 5G mmWave more accessible to regions around the globe. By addressing mmWave range and cost head-on, we’re opening the door for a broader adoption of mmWave’s many benefits for fixed wireless access and premium mobile networks.