Intel unveils its first gigabit LTE modem, coming later this year

Intel today announced the XMM 7560, its first gigabit LTE modem. Aside from the Category 16 download speeds, it will also include Category 13 upload speeds, which the company says is up to 225Mbps.

Of course, Intel isn't the first to offer a gigabit LTE product. Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon X16 modem last February, which will be bundled with the Snapdragon 835 chipset that we'll be seeing in phones at Mobile World Congress. Like the X16, Intel's XMM 7560 will be built on a 14nm process. It's worth noting, however, that despite listing the Snapdragon 835 as supporting Category 13 upload speeds, it maxes out at 150Mbps.

Intel's new modem supports 5x carrier aggregation for up to 100MHz of combined bandwidth, and for uplink, 3x carrier aggregation for 60MHz, with the company promising that "it's not just fast, it's agile". It will also support up to 35 LTE bands, which Intel says will allow OEMs to build truly global devices on a single SKU; indeed, this could end up being a truly valuable feature, not just for those that travel, but for users that might want to switch carriers without buying a new phone.

The firm says that the XMM 7560 will sample in the first half of 2017, with full production soon after. Judging by that statement, we can probably expect to see it in devices in the second half of the year, possibly in the upcoming cellular Windows PCs.