Qualcomm may have overcome one of the major hurdles standing in the way of 5G’s rollout with the unveiling of its first mmWave 5G antennas for smartphones.

The QTM052 mmWave antenna module family and the QPM56xx sub-6 GHz RF module family will pair with Qualcomm’s previously announced Snapdragon X50 5G modem, opening the for next generation mobile networks.

“Today’s announcement of the first commercial 5G NR mmWave antenna modules and sub-6 GHz RF modules for smartphones and other mobile devices represents a major milestone for the mobile industry,” said Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm Incorporated. “Qualcomm Technologies’ early investment in 5G has allowed us to deliver to the industry a working mobile mmWave solution that was previously thought unattainable, as well as a fully-integrated sub-6 GHz RF solution. Now, these type of modem-to-antenna solutions, spanning both mmWave and sub-6 spectrum bands, make mobile 5G networks and devices, especially smartphones, ready for large scale commercialisation.”

Up to four of the QTM052 antenna modules can be integrated in a smartphone, due to their minimal size. Both the QTM052 and the QPM56xx have begun sampling to customers, with devices due to launch as early as the first half of 2019.