On 25 Feb in Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, ZTE, one of the top five global handset manufacturers, announced the ZTE Flare, a 4G LTE unified Wi-Fi mobile hotspot device that is the world’s first commercially announced data device to feature Qualcomm Technologies, fourth-generation Qualcomm Gobi 4G LTE advanced modem. Qualcomm Technologies is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM). The ZTE Flare utilizes the Qualcomm Gobi 9×30 chipset to support peak LTE Category 6 downlink speeds of up to 300 Mbps, making the device an ideal choice for global users looking for the fastest mobile broadband experience.
Mr. Zhao Guang, MBB Product General Manager of ZTE, said in the announcement of ZTE Flare, “Not only do Qualcomm Technologies’ Gobi chipsets provide the fastest mobile broadband connections worldwide, but they’re also easily integrated into our products. This enables us to bring the latest LTE Advanced Category 6 technology to market faster and deliver a superior user experience to customers.”
The ZTE Flare offers several notable improvements over ZTE’s previous generation device, including lower power consumption and lower heat generation – enhancements derived largely from using the latest Qualcomm Gobi and RF360 technologies.
Mr. Alex Katouzian, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, said, “High-speed mobile broadband connections are increasingly important to today’s users, and we are excited to have Gobi technology enabling 4G LTE Advanced CAT6 connectivity in ZTE’s newest and best mobile hotspot product. We’re looking forward to seeing many more devices take advantage of the speed, reliability, and global connectivity that Gobi chipsets deliver, enabling consumers to access mobile content anywhere, anytime.”
According to the official website of ZTE, the Qualcomm Gobi 9×30 chipset is the first commercial modem to be manufactured using a 20nm process; It is also the world’s first LTE-Advanced world mode modem capable of wideband up to 40 MHz carrier aggregation on LTE FDD and TDD. By allowing network operators to combine fragmented spectrum across two RF bands in all possible 3GPP approved combinations of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz, Gobi 9×30 enable LTE Advanced CAT6 FDD and TDD deployments on a global scale. In addition to enabling faster data rates and lower latencies for end users, Gobi 9×30 features significant performance improvements, including a nearly 15 percent reduction in power consumption from the previous generation and a smaller design footprint.
The ZTE Flare modem is a sports Qualcomm VIVE 802.11 Ac Wi-Fi chip, alongside the QCA6174 dual-band 802.11ac/a/b/g/n 2×2 MIMO solution, which provides the significant broadband capacity to distribute the LTE connection at the range of up to 32 connected users. The Gobi9x30 modem supports the full suite of RF360 technologies, including envelope tracking, antenna tuning, and integrated PAs and Switches.
The ZTE Flare is expected to be available in the market in the second half of 2014.
