Qualcomm, Aramco Digital unveil first 5G processors with 450MHz spectrum support

Qualcomm Technologies and Saudi Arabia’s Aramco Digital have announced the world’s first processors with native support for 5G in 450MHz spectrum.

The processors, the companies said in a press release this week, are designed to revolutionize 5G connectivity and coverage in a single processor.

They “provide ubiquitous and resilient coverage that will be necessary to connect millions of intelligent edge devices.”

The announcement was made at the third edition of the Global AI Summit in Saudi Arabia.

Qualcomm Technologies provides comprehensive 5G modem-to-RF solutions consisting of the modem, RF transceiver, TX power amplifier, RX low-noise amplifiers, filters, duplexers and switches, helping optimize the performance and accelerate the development of 450 MHz enabled IoT devices including industrial handhelds and ruggedized smartphones.

Tareq Amin, CEO of Aramco Digital, said that the company was “thrilled to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies.” Aramco Digital is the digital and technology subsidiary of Aramco.

“We congratulate Aramco Digital on being qualified to obtain the 450MHz license to deploy their nationwide Industrial and Enterprise IoT network across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Nakul Duggal, group general manager, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT, and cloud computing, at Qualcomm Technologies, said. “This frequency band is particularly effective for both outdoor and indoor coverage, making it a key element of our strategy to drive digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager of technology planning and edge solutions, at Qualcomm Technologies, said that the introduction of the world’s first processors was made possible through the collaboration with Aramco Digital.