The commercialization of 5G communications will be realized starting in early 2019 with mobile device launches and network rollouts across North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and China, according to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon.

In the US, telecom operators including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile will begin to offer related 5G services utilizing sub-6GHz frequency band in the first quarter of 2019, Amon said on a company event held in Hawaii.

In addition to using sub-6GHz band, US-based telecom operators will also offer related 5G services using mmWave band, Amon said, adding that fellow telecom operators in Japan and Korea will also utilize both sub-6GHz and mmWave bands for their 5G services.

Meanwhile, operators in China plan to adopt sub-6GHz band initially, and are now mulling to also utilize mmWave technology, with China Mobile expected to announce its major 5G deployments in the near future, Amon revealed.

Amon also touted that the release of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 mobile platform, Snapdragon X50 5G modem family and Qualcomm QTM052 mmWave antenna modules and other RF components will help OEMs address the exponential increase in device design complexity that comes with 5G in both sub-6GHz and mmWave bands.

While a reference design of 5G mobile phone with integrated sub-6GHz and mmWave connectivity was present in the event, Qualcomm Technologies, AT&T and Verizon also turned on live mmWave 5G networks and showcased a number of 5G consumer experiences powered by the Snapdragon X50 5G Modem and RF subsystem.