5G Device Ecosystem Prepared by GSA based on data from the GSA Analyser for Mobile Broadband Devices (GAMBoD)
GSA Report |May 2019 | 5G Device Ecosystem
© Copyright 2019 Global mobile Suppliers Association
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My take:
- The report ( drive.google.com ; otherwise accessible via free registration) adds the actual table of devices naming chipset providers Qualcomm, Huawei, Samsung and Mediatek.
- Seems to me reports like this show how Q is helping drive 5G adoption in a competitive market rather than stifling competition through unfair business practices that require draconian remedies which hopelessly conflicted parties (LG & ACT) support via amicus briefs opposing a "stay pending appeal".
- 5G competitor Samsung settled with Q, competitor Mediatek has agreements in place with Q (kudos to WWW comments 6/1 & 6/2) and Huawei hasn't skipped a beat in its 5G aspirations while "negotiating" over the past 1.5 years or so.
- So, where's the competitive harm that was erroneously found to have happened in 4G/LTE and that is expected to continue or magically appear in 5G?
- Finally, if smaller modem chipset customer firms like LG lose the ability to offer flagship phones with the fastest data rates/volumes and shortest latency because they either
- lack the scale/money/expertise to vertically integrate a high-end modem (like Samsung and Huawei do and Apple endeavors) or
- lack a source for leading (bleeding) edge modems if Q were to decide to exit (spin off?) or otherwise had a legal basis to stop sales and competitors like Mediatek couldn't meet the specs,
- ... then the fault will lie largely with Judge Koh's ruling/remedies and short-sighted customers like LG who cry foul when their enablers seek fair compensation for both their patented technology and their modem and ASIC end products .
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Key facts
Since the start of 2019 the number of 5G devices has grown rapidly; starting
with a few announcements, and then gathering pace as operators in various
parts of the world brought their first commercial 5G services to market. As
more services go live during 2019, we can expect the device ecosystem to
continue to grow quickly. GSA will be tracking and reporting regularly on 5G
device launch announcements. Its GAMBoD database will contain key details
about device form factors, features, and support for spectrum bands. Summary
statistics are released in this regular monthly publication.
By the end of May, GSA had identified:
- nine announced form factors (phones, hotspots, indoor CPE, outdoor CPE, laptops, modules, snap-on dongles/adapters, IoT routers, and USB terminals).
- thirty-three vendors that have announced available or forthcoming 5G devices.
- sixty-four announced devices, up from 50 in May and 33 in March (excluding regional variants, re-badged devices, phones that can be upgraded using a separate adapter, and prototypes not expected to be commercialised)
- seventeen phones (plus regional variants)
- six hotspots (plus regional variants)
- nineteen CPE devices (indoor and outdoor, including two Verizon-spec compliant devices)
- sixteen modules
- two snap-on dongles/adapters
- two IoT routers
- one laptop
- one USB terminal.
- 5G chipsets from five vendors – Huawei, Intel, Mediatek, Qualcomm and Samsung – although Intel has announced its withdrawal from the 5G modem market.
Not all devices are available immediately and specification details remain
limited for some devices. |
