Intel is evolving with the recent evolution of technologies, mobile business and Internet infrastructures. Therefore, the chip-making stalwarts said it was going to launch a 5g modem chip to be named "GOLDRIDGE".
5G (or fifth generation) is the next major iteration of the cellular network that will theoretically support multi-gigabit internet speeds on phones. Intel is emphasizing the modem's applications in areas outside of phones too, such as autonomous vehicles, drones and smart city sensors. "5G will enable billions of 'things' to become smart through seamless connectivity, massive computing power and access to rich data and analytics stored at the edge of the cloud," wrote Aicha Evans, the head of Intel's communications and devices group, in a blog post about the 5G modem.
Intel is possibly expecting to produce the sample of the modem to her customers on or before the second half of the year.
Intel isn't the first company to announce a 5G modem. Late last year, mobile chip leader Qualcomm announced the world's first 5G modem. The company said it would start sending out samples of the chip to customers in the second half of this year, and phones with the Qualcomm modem inside will begin shipping in early 2018. Qualcomm claimed that the chip could theoretically support download speeds on your smartphone of up to 5 gigabits per second. But even with all this talk about 5G chips coming out, actual 5G is a long way off from getting into the hands of consumers. No one is quite sure exactly what it will look like.
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| Intel CEO with the chip sample during the conference meeting |
The logic is 5G will run on the millimeter wave spectrum and these narrow radio waves don't transmit well over long distances and can't penetrate walls. Instead of building huge cell towers for beaming signals far and wide, network operators will have to start installing many so-called "small cell" base stations throughout areas for 5G coverage. That means 5G coverage will likely first appear in dense urban environments where it would make economic sense to install a dense network of base stations.
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