Is Connectivity System Design Accelerating the Commercialization of 5G Devices?

With the market for 5G devices set to grow exponentially over the next 18 months, there are a number of complex challenges ahead for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Chief among these is the ability solve the integration of the whole 5G cellular system design into their devices, from the antenna to the modem, supporting cellular innovation as it emerges. This needs to be done while still maximizing device performance, thereby optimizing power consumption without compromising overall device design or cost. To overcome these challenges, OEMs will need to move away from component assembly and adopt system-level design so that they can focus more effectively on customer experiences and deliver more reliable products, reaping the most benefits from 5G adoption. This delegation of modem-Radio Frequency (RF) system design brings with it advantages, but such a strategic approach has been carried out by few in the market thus far.

5G is now the fastest growing cellular generation ever and, in 2020, the technology is expected to reach out to new device types and markets beyond smartphones, including tablets, mobile broadband routers, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Customer-Premises Equipment (CPE), notebooks, wearables, and computing-centric and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) devices, among others. The 5G devices market is expected to expand exponentially across all 5G mobile device types, from a collective total of less than 20 million units in 2019 to well over 200 million in 2020.

Through the addition of 5G, the device User Experience (UX) can be improved immeasurably from previous generations, making integration highly desirable and advantageous. Such immediate enhancements include improving online cloud gaming through reduced latency and allowing for 4K/8K video streaming due to higher data rates. Other features, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) will also be stimulated further by the addition of this high-performance connectivity but without compromising power consumption.

However, the 5G roadmap is significantly more complex and faster moving than previous generations, which brings with it a whole raft of technical challenges. The technology implementation requires new Radio Frequency (RF) and RF Front-End (RFFE) components, features, and functionalities, as well as more processing capabilities, leading to substantial changes in the design of mobile devices. This is particularly challenging for the OEMS, as it makes their components procurement process and system design far more complex, which could lead to lengthy product development cycles, more expensive devices, and huge constraints on device industrial designs.

Some OEMs that will bring 5G connectivity to new device types or those that are “challenger” smartphone OEMs, such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, ViVo, and OPPO, have little to no experience or expertise in cellular connectivity. These OEMs will therefore rely heavily on 5G chipset suppliers to help design high performance 5G systems to enable them to quickly accommodate best-in-class features and innovation, which will help differentiate their offerings.

As a result, it becomes very challenging for OEMs to create adequate RF designs capable of maximizing device performance, and thereby optimizing power consumption, the new 5G environment without compromising overall device design or cost. To overcome these challenges, OEMs will now have to move away from component assembly and adopt system-level designs from the antenna to the modem. It is here that the use of RFFE modules and help from End-to-End (E2E) specialized RF solutions providers will offer welcome support to OEMs, which will help greatly with cellular system design from the antenna to the modem and speed Time to Market (TTM), supporting cellular innovation as it emerges. These high-end solutions will fulfill a need that the 5G devices industry desperately craves, enabling OEMs to focus on customer experiences and deliver more reliable products with the required scale and availability and nullifying their need to deal with a proliferation of future component types and suppliers.

The reference design of mobile devices becomes increasingly complex with the migration to new generation networks. This is particularly true for 5G, as all aspects of device E2E performance, from the modem through to the antennas, need to be addressed. The radio system and modem designs must be tightly correlated to take full advantage of all benefits offered by the modem capabilities in order to tap efficiently into the network capacity.  

RFFE system design is currently the remit of established OEMs and has long been a key differentiating factor, as it has been tightly correlated with the overall industrial design of the mobile devices. Vendors traditionally procure different components from heterogeneous manufacturers, with the aim of taking advantage of the highly competitive component landscape and reducing reliance on a single supplier across their portfolio. For example, Apple has traditionally used between 5 and 10 RF and modem suppliers for each generation of its iPhone. However, when making these choices, OEMs need to take ownership of RF system design while ensuring that it has minimal to no impact on industrial design. The control of the RF system design has become a key factor for OEMs to consider in an environment where they are required to create Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) that can serve the market better and address the requirements of different network types and spectrum bands.

The supply of bundled and monolithically integrated components such as filters, Power Amplifiers (PAs), duplexers, and switches has continued apace, from the likes of Murata, Skyworks, Avago, EPCOS, Qorvo, and Qualcomm, which is helping OEMs alleviate the burden of RF system designs. However, while the offer of these high-performance, monolithically integrated modules is necessary, such an approach is not enough to enhance overall 5G performance. Additionally, there is an imminent need for modem-RF system design to further enhance the overall solution while lowering power consumption. This becomes ever-more crucial when considering the RF complexity associated with 5G, which is brought by the addition of new spectrum bands and new RF features and functionalities, such as Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO), antenna tuning, beamforming, and envelope tracking.

Chipset suppliers with comprehensive RF and modem portfolios will be able to help OEMS and provide them with an E2E system design from the antenna to the modem, thereby allowing the delivery of mobile products at scale and on time. This means OEMs will no longer have to go through complex RF components sourcing processes involving many RF chips suppliers.

The delegation of modem-RF system design by OEMs to specialized third parties brings with it a number of advantages, many of which have become increasingly stark as the devices market transitions to 5G. Among the most critical advantages of this approach are:

• Simplifying Component Sourcing: This helps the process as OEMs need to deal with far fewer suppliers or, ideally, just one vendor who supplies the whole system from the modem to the antenna. This will enable OEMs to save both time and money, bringing their 5G devices to the market while accelerating adoption of the most innovative 5G features.
• System-Level Integration: This helps maximize system performance while lowering power consumption compared to assembling various RF components from multiple vendors.
• Technology Complexity: This is taken out of the hands of the OEMs so that they can focus on offering better experiences to end customers, concentrating their efforts on industrial design and User Interfaces (UIs), and developing more products to serve diverse market needs.
• Accelerating Time to Market: This is especially true for new device types and form factors, such as “always-on” notebooks. TTM is equally important for smartphone segments submitting to rapid product intro cycles.

It is expected that third-party modem-RF system design will become a mainstream approach in support of “challenger” OEMs, but it could also prove an invaluable weapon for new entrants that often lack the right expertise for designing radio systems and bringing always-on 5G connectivity to new device types and segments, such as notebooks, PCs, gaming, CPEs, etc. Using third-party modem-RF designs will be key to accelerate TTM for their devices while keeping pace with innovation brought by 5G.

Such a strategic approach has been carried out by few in the market thus far and currently Qualcomm is the only supplier able to offer an E2E product portfolio from the antenna to modem. While companies such as Qorvo and Skyworks have provided several packaged solutions that have played a significant role in the miniaturization of RF components and modules, Qualcomm has been the most advanced, supplying products with E2E performance in fully integrated system designs. In contrast, other modem competitors, including MediaTek, UNISOC, Hisilicon, Samsung, and Apple, all still lack key RF components in their portfolios and are unlikely to be involved in any Modem-RF design anytime soon. However, as the RF business is predicted to undergo further consolidation, notably with Broadcom now planning to sell off its RF wireless chip unit, such modem companies and tier one OEMs could go on the acquisition trail to fill their knowledge gap, potentially led by Apple.