Qualcomm Plans to Go Full-Force into Wi-Fi 7 Development

Qualcomm’s advancements with multiple products has been nothing short of impressive, with the company taking the initiative to work on AI software, satellite communication technology, and a whole host of other products in addition to its booming mobile chipset lineup. As such, the company has also announced that it plans to continue pursuing its work on Wi-fi 7 technology.

In fact, Qualcomm has spent the past 25 years working with Wi-Fi research and development, with more than 6.5 billion Wi-Fi products shipped worldwide. The company says that it has secured more than 175 Wi-Fi 7 design wins across all product categories, including nearly every announced or in-development device based on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile platform.

Qualcomm adds that its collaborations with various hardware manufacturers have enabled more than 1,600 Wi-Fi 6 and 6E-enabled products to be launched, including those currently in development. This includes a full device ecosystem such as access points, routers, gateways, smartphones, PC, XR and more.  Qualcomm has also been working on its FastConnect Wi-Fi/Bluetooth systems, which is found in more than 900 Wi-Fi 6 and 6E devices launched or in-development. 

As such, the company’s launch of its Wi-fi 7 portfolio in 2022 was followed by more product releases from the company, which build on its Wi-fi technology. One example would be the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth system for smartphones, PCs, VR/AR/XR devices, which offer a baseband-to-antenna system approach.

Given that Wi-Fi 7 is now seeing a growing proliferation throughout consumer electronics products and IoT ecosystems, Qualcomm says that device manufacturers are now delivering products based on its systems and platforms. More recently, several products which integrate FastConnect 7800 were showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, including the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro, vivo X90 Pro+ and iQOO 11 Pro, Motorola Moto X40, Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro, and HONOR Magic 5, to name a few.

In other related Qualcomm news, the company also recently announced that it would be working with several OEMs to develop satellite communication technology for smartphones. These include Honor, Motorola, Nothing, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi to develop smartphones with satellite communication capabilities, which will make use of the Snapdragon Satellite.

Announced back at the Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, the Snapdragon Satellite allows for satellite-based two-way messaging for smartphones. This includes different use cases including emergencies, SMS texting, and other messaging applications. Qualcomm says that it’s supported by the low-Earth orbiting (LEO) and fully operational Iridium satellite constellation, which enables low-power, low-latency satellite connections utilizing weather-resilient L-band spectrum.

Going back to Wi-fi 7, we can expect more news from Qualcomm as 2023 progresses, as well as more announcements regarding upcoming Qualcomm products.