Qualcomm's next generation Gobi modem chipsets will begin sampling in Q4 2012 and will support both HSPA+ Release 10 & LTE Advanced. The new chipsets will support LTE carrier aggregation and true LTE Category 4 with data rates of up to 150 Mbps. LTE carrier aggregation combines multiple radio channels within and across bands to increase user data rates, reduce latency and enable Category 4 capabilities for operators without 20 MHz of continuous spectrum.

According to company, implemented in a 28nm manufacturing process, the chipsets will feature significant improvements in performance and power consumption from previous generations and provide support for multiple mobile broadband technologies to deliver a best-in-class mobile broadband experience for smartphones, tablets, ultra-portable notebooks, portable hotspots, dongles and CPEs (Customer Premises Equipment).

The MDM9225 and MDM9625 chipsets are Qualcomm’s third generation of LTE modem chipsets. In addition to supporting both LTE Advanced (LTE Release 10) and HSPA+ Release 10 (including 84 Mbps dual carrier HSDPA), they are backward compatible with other standards including EV-DO Advanced, TD-SCDMA and GSM. The third-generation Gobi modem chipsets also have an integrated application processor and hardware accelerators with a feature rich, Linux-based application development environment and optional mobile access point software stack.