Qualcomm took the wraps off a 5G modem designed for lower-cost, smaller form-factor devices, a move it claimed will enable new consumer and industrial IoT use cases.

The vendor claimed its Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF System chipset is the first compatible with NR-Light, or reduced capability (RedCap), specifications contained in the 3GPP Release-17 standard.

Gautam Sheoran, VP of product management for Qualcomm, told press the chip could enable peak data rates of up to 220Mb/s and is suitable for devices including surveillance cameras, IoT gateways, wearables and industrial sensors.

“What we’re trying to do here is bring the overall cost envelope of 5G down so that we can enable those new use cases,” he noted.

“It’s really bringing all the benefits of 5G into a smaller package.”

The chip’s dimensions make it suitable for devices including XR and AR glasses and is the latest move by the chip giant to expand its market beyond smartphones.

Qualcomm stated Snapdragon X35 is the lowest-power chip it has produced to-date.

It is compatible with all spectrum bands in sub-6GHz, FDD and TDD bands, along with offering LTE capability.

J Gold Associates founder and principal analyst Jack Gold told Mobile World Live the ability to fall back to 4G is important for devices which move outside 5G coverage areas.

Qualcomm is also pitching it as a long-term migration path for replacing LTE CAT4+ devices.

“It’s the first NR light modem I am aware of and it is a big deal,” Gold said, adding Qualcomm’s OEM relationships give it a competitive edge.

The analyst noted the power efficiency could prove a key element in the chip, because many “battery powered devices can’t use a full 5G modem very well due to the amount of power it requires”.

Sheoran stated Qualcomm is in talks with device manufacturers, with sample shipments planned in H1 and commercial products expected in 2024.