• Samsung and Qualcomm have deployed 5G Power Class 1 capabilities in 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) tests
• The partners claim they achieved up to 10 times higher uplink throughput and a 40% coverage boost 
• Samsung says the capabilities have been tested in a major US network and are set to be deployed next year  

Samsung is claiming significant gains in 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) uplink speeds and service coverage following tests, conducted with wireless chip giant Qualcomm, that included 5G Power Class 1 (PC1) capabilities. 

Power Class (PC) is a 3GPP standard that “defines how strongly a device can transmit its signal, with a lower-class number indicating a higher output power,” noted Samsung in this announcement. It added that “higher power is critical for improving signal quality and extending network reach, especially useful in harder-to-reach areas”.

The tests, which took place at Samsung’s R&D lab, combined the South Korean vendor’s virtual RAN (vRAN) system, 3.7GHz massive MIMO radios and Qualcomm’s Dragonwing FWA Gen 4 Platform, which features the chipmaker’s X85 Modem-RF chipset. 

And according to Samsung, the results showed that PC1 can give 5G FWA deployments a real boost, as the application of PC1 achieved up to 10 times higher uplink throughput “at the cell edge” compared to PC1.5, and extended the coverage range by up to 40% compared with what is possible using PC1.5. 

Samsung said it expects PC1 to be a key factor in elevating the FWA user experience by offering fibre-like uplink speeds and reducing bottlenecks, supporting demand for “data- and time-intensive services like physical AI, autonomous systems and AR/VR”.  

Eun Yong Kim, VP and head of air technology at Samsung’s Networks Business, stated: “As networks continue to evolve and support more AI-driven services, high-performance wireless infrastructure becomes more essential. This validation highlights Samsung’s readiness to bring advanced technologies to market with partners like Qualcomm Technologies, empowering operators to deliver faster, more efficient networks that are ready to handle everything from seamless industrial data transmission to increasingly data-heavy user experiences.”

Samsung has been making a concerted effort to position itself as a viable RAN rival to market giants Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia with vRAN technology advances, and is already a major RAN technology supplier to Verizon. 

It noted that following the successful tests, it “recently conducted field tests on a US Tier 1 operator’s network, with the feature expected to be commercially available in 2027”.

All three major US mobile operators – AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US – are offering 5G FWA services as part of their broadband portfolios. 

- James Pearce, Editor, TelecomTV