Corning Teams Up With Qualcomm For 5G mmWave Infrastructure

Corning has announced it is working with Qualcomm Technologies to develop 5G mmWave infrastructure systems for enterprises and public venues. The 5G systems are designed to combine Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G and mmWave technology leadership with Corning’s industry-proven small-cell expertise to deliver affordable and easy-to-install 5G-ready networks indoors.

Corning said its systems are expected to be among the first designed to deliver 5G-NR capability over mmWave spectrum in the indoor segment, which includes enterprises such as offices, university campuses, hospitals, hotels and shopping centers. The 5G systems will leverage Corning’s virtualized RAN architecture to manage the attached mmWave small cells.

By utilizing the Qualcomm FSM100xx 5G RAN platform, Corning has access to leading-edge mmWave capabilities that are designed to facilitate small, powerful, and power-efficient mmWave infrastructure for cost-effective and scalable indoor deployments.

The working relationship is expected to enable Corning to implement new functionality around concurrent beamforming, advanced scheduling, and other features necessary to support the unique characteristics of indoor environments. When combined with Corning’s LTE-based Enterprise RAN systems based on the Qualcomm FSM99xx 4G RAN platform, mobile operators can rapidly deploy 5G-NSA services, said Corning.

“Corning has decades of experience designing, installing, and conditioning advanced cellular networks,” said Michelle Engarto, vice president, wireless product line management, Corning Optical Communications. “Our experience in network design and knowledge of varying and distinct customer requirements will benefit customers as we navigate the complexities associated with 5G mmWave indoors. By combining the technology leadership and experience from Corning and Qualcomm Technologies, we aim to offer a compelling and affordable solution for 5G mmWave systems specifically developed with the enterprise in mind.”

“Corning and Qualcomm Technologies have a history of delivering infrastructure innovation spanning LTE, LTE-U/LAA, CBRS, and more,” said Puneet Sethi, senior director, product management, Qualcomm Technologies. “We are now pleased to be ramping our fruitful relationship with Corning into the 5G era. We expect this marriage of Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G mmWave technology leadership with Corning’s industry-proven small-cell and enterprise expertise to deliver the capacity and performance benefits of 5G mmWave indoors, via development of cost effective, powerful, and scalable 5G mmWave infrastructure.”―Digitimes