Intel confirms 5G modem for second half of 2019

Intel confirmed that its upcoming 5G modem chip will ship in the second half of 2019, meaning that 5G phones, PCs and broadband access gateways incorporating the device should hit the market in the first half of 2020. The updated timeline is more than a half-year earlier than previous guidance.

The Intel XMM 8160 5G modem will support the new 5G New Radio (NR) standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes as well as 4G, 3G and 2G legacy radios in a single chipset. It will support peak speeds up to 6 Gbps, making it three to six times faster than the latest LTE modems available today.

Intel said its 5G modem is designed for worldwide carrier support.It will support new millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum as well as sub 6 GHz 5G NR support (including FDD and TDD bands from 600 MHz to 6 GHz).

“Intel’s new XMM 8160 5G modem provides the ideal solution to support large volumes for scaling across multiple device categories to coincide with broad 5G deployments. We are seeing great demand for the advanced feature set of the XMM 8160, such that we made a strategic decision to pull in the launch of this modem by half a year to deliver a leading 5G solution,” stated Dr. Cormac Conroy, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the Communication and Devices Group.