ZTE Flare Offers a Faster Way to Leverage LTE Advanced CAT6

For some, ZTE is probably best known as the creator of mobile devices, like its line of high-end nubia phones, even if those devices are relatively scarce outside of China. On the other hand, some may be more acquainted with the company’s telecommunications infrastructure work, particularly in terms of LTE networks. The truth is, though, that ZTE handles a wide array of telecommunications equipment, networks and mobile devices. As such, its latest release is appropriate, to say the least.

The company has introduced the ZTE Flare, a 4G LTE unified Wi-Fi mobile hotspot device that is actually the first commercially announced data device to use Qualcomm’s fourth-generation Qualcomm Gobi 4G LTE Advanced modem. In particular, the ZTE Flare uses the Gobi 9x30 chipset, which can support peak LTE Category 6 downlink speeds of up to 300 Mbps, making it one of the fastest LTE mobile hotspots yet.

“Not only do Qualcomm Technologies’ Gobi chipsets provide the fastest mobile broadband connections worldwide, they’re also easily integrated into our products,” said Zhao Guang, ZTE’s MBB product general manager, in a statement. “This enables us to bring the latest LTE Advanced Category 6 technology to market faster and deliver a superior user experience to customers.”

Aside from its enhanced speeds, the ZTE Flare also offers lower power consumption and heat generation over ZTE’s previous generation equivalent. These enhancements are thanks largely to the fact that the Flare uses Qualcomm Gobi and RF360 technologies.

Indeed, the Qualcomm Gobi 9x30 chipset is the first commercial modem to be manufactured using a 20nm process. It is also the first LTE Advanced world mode modem capable of wideband up to 40 MHz carrier aggregation on LTE FDD and TDD. This means Gobi 9x30 enables Advanced CAT6 FDD and TDD deployments at a global scale as it allows operators to combine fragmented spectrum across two RF bands in all possible 3GPP approved combinations of five, 10, 15 and 20 MHz.

Meanwhile, the Gobi 9x30 is paired with a Qualcomm VIVE 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip, providing enough broadband capacity to distribute an LTE connection to a range of up to 32 connected users.