Qualcomm Looking To Add 5G, UAS To Its San Diego 3.5 GigaHertz Trials

Qualcomm is now requesting the approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with regards to an update to the chip maker’s current license so that it can include unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the license’s scope. The company has already utilized the 3560 to 3650 MegaHertz frequency range in trying to explore 4G LTE technologies under the call sign WH2XIN, but now it is looking to have its licensed updated to make room for 5G development trials. 

What Qualcomm wants in particular is to bring down the lower frequency to 3550 MegaHertz instead of 3560 MegaHertz while at the same time keeping the higher frequency at 3650 MegaHertz. Moreover, the tech giant is also requesting the FCC to raise the transmission bandwidth to 100 MegaHertz, and also include the roll out of UAS within a radius of 1 mile at an altitude of 400 feet.

More than a month ago, Qualcomm had revealed the results of the drone trials it conducted at its UAS flight center located in the city of San Diego in the state of California. In those trials, the chp maker had demonstrated that LTE networks are able to offer support for secure drone operations in real world settings. 

Qualcomm happens to be an active member of the Drone Advisory Committee Sub-Committee (DAC-SC), and it is currently collaborating in the research as well as providing expertise to the industry as well as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with regards to taking full advantage of commercially available cellular networks when it comes to drone operations, especially for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

According to Qualcomm, it needs to have an extra 10 MegaHertz of airwaves in order to initiate 5G trials, especially in supported the needed 100 MegaHertz channel bandwidth. Furthermore, the company is planning to utilize the airwaves in order to enable limited trials of the UAS, with the objective of operating the LTE and 5G networks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a whole year’s time.

The trials will require using up 10 fixed site base stations and as many as 50 small cell sites, with mobile handsets to be operated within the coverage supplied by fixed sites, which along with small cells, have support for MIMO (multiple input, multiple output). Lastly, Qualcomm has stated that it is coordinating with the United States Navy via the Navy and Marine Corps Spectrum Offices (NMCSO).