A phone you can take anywhere: Qualcomm creates first global-ready LTE chip

By Andrew Kalinchuk Published February 22, 2013

World travelers, rejoice! Qualcomm has announced a new LTE chip that supports every LTE network worldwide, solving the problem of incompatible hardware with one move.

The RF360 chips work with LTE-FDD, LTE-TDD, WCDMA, EV-DO, CDMA 1X, TC-SCDMA, and GSM/EDGE networks. In short, the RF360 holds the key to almost 40 different LTE bands, enough to ensure worldwide LTE connectivity.

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Manufacturers and consumers will both benefit from Qualcomm’s latest innovation. Companies will no longer be forced to split products into many different variants depending on the location. Instead, a single device with the new chip can satisfy the LTE needs of every market. Another side effect is that connectivity should be stronger on every network since every frequency can be taken advantage of.

The new chip comes with a few extra additions as well. For starters, Qualcomm has made the chip thinner than most while integrating improved antenna performance, battery life, and overall reliability.

The RF360 has a friend in the WTR1625L, another chip with an industry first. This is time its carrier aggregation alongside the international LTE compatibility. The carrier aggregation means it can accommodate 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE frequency bands in whatever combination.

Don’t expect to see devices sporting these new chips until later this year, but the added functionality is guaranteed to be a hit for Qualcomm and whichever manufacturers pick them up.

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Qualcomm

Andrew Kalinchuk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew covers news and opinions pertaining to smartphones, tablets, and all else mobile for Digital Trends. He recently…

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