Qualcomm Announced Its Fifth-Generation Gobi Chip

Today chip maker Qualcomm took the wraps off its new chip, a fifth iteration of its Gobi platform. It includes a comprehensive support for TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, LTE on TDD and FDD networks and has GPS capabilities. Also it supports the EV-DO and HSPA+ for backwards compatibility. Theoretically, such a powerful combination would allow Gobi devices to connect locally to the faster LTE network and stay connected to the Internet on 3G networks worldwide.

Qualcomm notes in a press release that the chip will work with leading operating systems, such as Android and Windows 8, as well as with x86 and Qualcomm’s dual- and quad-core Snapdragon processors. As far as we know, this chip could be used inside the iPad 3 and could also appear in the next-generation iPhone. The future iPhone 5 or 4G iPad with the new Gobi chip would potentially make it possible for Apple to use a single hardware in targeting multiple carriers that often use incompatible radio technologies.

Among them is the largest carrier in the world China Mobile that utilizes networks based on TD-LTE radio technology. In other words, the new Gobi chip could enable the worldwide phone compatibility. It should be noted that since the Verizon iPhone almost every 3G iOS devices run Qualcomm’s Gobi platform with the only exception being the AT&T iPad that still utilizes an older Infineon chip.