Mobile World Congress offers a glimpse into future tech
Laptops that run for 28 hours, Wi-Fi 7, better 5G, the metaverse and digital twin car capabilities were among topics showcased at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Laptops that run for 28 hours, Wi-Fi 7, better 5G, the metaverse and digital twin car capabilities were among topics showcased at the world‘s biggest annual mobile technology event in Barcelona.
The Mobile World Congress offers a taste of new technology, with chipmakers for phones and laptops leading the way.
Qualcomm showcased its low- energy Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 platform that promises more than a day’s battery life on Windows 11 laptops, 5G connectivity speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, and new artificial intelligence capabilities such as more precise locking onto 5G signals.
The chip is already included in the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s laptop which claims up to 28 hours running time. Qualcomm said it had worked to make more enterprise software compatible with its platform.
Wireless connectivity on phones, laptops, headsets and watches has been unified with chips that combine the latest 5G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth versions.
Manufacturers have been scrambling to offer fast millimetre wave 5G to different countries because of spectrum differences. Now all spectrum for 5G and mmwave will be available on one Qualcomm chip. Carriers can choose whatever spectrum they bring to market, and vendors can create millimetre wave applications for use across countries.
The conference showcased Wi-Fi 7, which will be available in the second half of 2022 – cementing the use of 6GHz frequencies alongside the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi used in homes. That will give users more reliable Wi-Fi, with 6GHz offering 160 channels and broader connection capabilities. Wi-Fi should be faster and more reliable with less interference. Some of this 6GHz should be available in Australia.
Then there’s the connected car. We’ll see more cars connecting to infotainment systems using their own modems rather than through your phone in the car. New modems will let cars upload performance data to the cloud, creating a digital twin of data that service centres can access to analyse performance issues.
Car makers will be able to offer fast Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity to passengers with these chips.
Telstra announced a new Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro modem that combines regular (sub-6) 5G and faster mmwave 5G. It claimed speeds of up to 5.9 gigabits per second, almost 60 times that of a fast 100Mbps home broadband connection.
The metaverse figured heavily at the congress, with demonstration rides through virtual worlds and the rollout of metaverse platforms that let developers build virtual communities. Speaking from the congress, Telstra CEO Andy Penn said the metaverse and Web 3.0 supported by blockchain were key talking points.
There were device announcements including phones by Nokia, TCL, OnePlus, Oppo and RealMe, and notebook devices by Samsung, Lenovo, Huawei and more.
TCL showcased a concept phone that folds both inwards and outwards called the Ultra Flex, but first-hand accounts described the hinge system as still an “engineering challenge”.
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