LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS SHANGHAI 2017: Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf talked up a $12 trillion revenue opportunity from 5G by 2035 while stressing the need to make the most of 4G, particularly new Gigabit LTE networks.

In his keynote at this afternoon’s conference Mollenkopf cited the $12 trillion figure as a potential revenue target from 5G related goods and services globally. He claimed $2.4 trillion could be generated by the automotive industry alone.

The chip giant believes the economic impact to the 5G value chain in China, Korea and Japan by 2035 is $1.6 trillion, while 12.5 million jobs could be created in that timeframe in those regions.

“5G will enable businesses we haven’t even thought of yet,” said Mollenkopf.

However, with 5G standards yet to be defined, Qualcomm’s CEO claimed that rollouts of Gigabit LTE technology – from the likes of Australia’s Telstra – are paving the way to 5G.

“Gigabit LTE is here. It’s the anchor of the 5G mobile experience,” he stated. “We’re on our second generation of Gigabit LTE. Twenty operators worldwide are deploying it. It’s the first step towards the enhanced mobile broadband experience of 5G.”

Product announcements
Meanwhile Qualcomm used the event to announce a number of new developments. It touted the “first ultrasonic fingerprint sensor,” embedded underneath a phone’s OLED display and providing enhanced mobile authentication by monitoring heart beat and blood flow, as well as underwater fingerprint capability. Chinese handset vendor Vivo is Qualcomm’s initial partner for the technology.

Qualcomm also unveiled its Snapdragon 450 Mobile Platform, targeting mid-range smartphones and tablets. And the company has teamed with Chinese car manufacturer Geely (owner of Volvo) that will see Snapdragon automotive platforms supporting 4G infotainment systems in Geely cars from 2020.

Finally Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon Wear 1200 platform, offering low-power NB-IoT support for wearables, targeting child, pet, elderly and fitness trackers.