Samsung and Qualcomm use 1024QAM to increase 5G downlink data speed by 20% to 485Mbps.
Samsung and Qualcomm announced late last week that they have increased 5G downlink speed by 20% by completing tests for 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) for both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands. The former uses two different frequencies for transmitting and receiving while TDD uses a single frequency and separates transmitting and receiving by time.
QAM is an advanced modulation technology that relates to the amount of data (in bits) that can be sent over each transmission. The higher the QAM number, the more efficient a transmission is. While most commercial networks use 256QAM, 3GPP Release 17 calls for the use of 1024QAM. As Samsung notes, „This enhanced QAM technology helps operators maximize their use of spectrum resources and allows mobile users to seamlessly enjoy various mobile services such as live video streaming and online multi-player gaming, which require higher download speeds.
