Qualcomm wows at MWC with new tech

US tech heavyweight Qualcomm Inc is showcasing its latest chips and technologies at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023, with many of its Chinese partners eagerly embracing its products for their 5G devices, connected cars and industrial equipment.

Frank Meng, chairman of Qualcomm China, said: "Our Chinese partners are actively promoting products with new designs and new functions to enter the market. On the first day of MWC, many flagship smartphones based on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform were launched."

Chinese enterprises have the determination and courage to build themselves into world-class players, he said, adding they have actively integrated themselves into the overall landscape of global technological innovation, which has created even broader opportunities for cooperation.

Meng spoke highly of their enthusiasm to embrace new technologies and to continue to expand the international market. He expressed his belief this played a positive role in driving the development of China's industry and creating new opportunities.

At the MWC, Qualcomm announced Chinese smartphone brands Honor, Motorola, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are working with it to develop smartphones with satellite communication capabilities leveraging its Snapdragon Satellite platform.

Snapdragon Satellite is the world's first satellite-based support for two-way messaging in premium smartphones.

Qualcomm will also cooperate with China Unicom and ZTE for advanced technology demos during the MWC, including 5G Millimeter Wave, or mmWave, which tracks automated vehicles' routes via precise positioning for industrial use.

The company is also driving the proliferation of 5G across industries with globally certified module reference designs through the support of Chinese partners including Askey, Compal and Foxconn.

On Monday the US company and seven leading global operators, including China Mobile, announced plans to leverage its Snapdragon Spaces platform to expand the next generation of computing.

Many Chinese companies are designing a new wave of devices utilizing the firm's tech, including the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, Oppo's new mixed reality device and the OnePlus 11 5G smartphone, which are all Snapdragon Spaces ready.

To raise the bar for connected car technologies, Qualcomm also unveiled the next-generation Snapdragon Automotive 5G platform supporting the global development and delivery of connected services.

Its next-generation connectivity solutions include more robust and flexible processing power and increased network capacity for lower latency, launched with the support of Chinese partners such as Rolling Wireless and Quectel.