# Qualcomm and ZTE complete 5G-A interoperability tests of HPUE, SUL and waveform switching

- Published: 2026-11-10 20:16 UTC
- Section: Digital & Computing › Connectivity & internet
- Tags: 5G-A interoperability test, Qualcomm X105, ZTE base station, HPUE PC1.5, supplementary uplink, waveform switching, DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, beam management, n258
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-2607355c4c810e665c29fc58_qualcomm_and_zte/

**Under the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, test terminals on the Qualcomm X105 modem were checked with ZTE network equipment in uplink and beam-management scenarios.**

![Qualcomm and ZTE complete 5G-A interoperability tests of HPUE, SUL and waveform switching](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/ae27d43f00a24385.jpg)
*Michał Beim, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0*

Qualcomm Technologies and ZTE completed several 5G-A chip and system interoperability tests organized by the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, ithome.com reported on November 10, citing the group's WeChat account [1]. The tests covered high-power user equipment (HPUE), supplementary uplink (SUL), layer-1 fast waveform switching and device-side beam prediction [1].

## HPUE and supplementary uplink

In the FDD HPUE tests, a mobile test terminal based on the Qualcomm X105 modem and RF system was checked in n1 (2.1 GHz) and n28 (700 MHz) at power class PC2 (26 dBm) [1]. In TDD, the same platform was tested in n41 (2.6 GHz) and n78 (3.5 GHz) at PC1.5 (29 dBm) [1]. Higher transmit power is intended to improve uplink at the cell edge [1].

TDD SUL was tested in band A (n95, 2010–2025 MHz) and band F (n98, 1880–1920 MHz) [1]. The terminal stays connected to the main carrier and also sends data on a supplementary uplink carrier in lower-frequency spectrum [1].

## Waveform switching and beam prediction

Layer-1 fast waveform switching, supported in 3GPP Release 18, lets the network switch between DFT-s-OFDM and CP-OFDM depending on channel conditions, with the switch indicated via DCI [1]. DFT-s-OFDM has a lower peak-to-average power ratio and is used where coverage is limited; CP-OFDM is used where the connection is good [1].

In the beam-management test, the terminal operated in a ZTE base-station cell in n258 (25.5 GHz), using 12 wide beams as prediction input and 24 narrow beams as output [1]. According to the report, reference-signal overhead and the terminal's measurement load for narrow beams dropped significantly while downlink data performance was maintained [1].

## Sources

1. [ithome.com](https://www.ithome.com/1/024/827.htm)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-2607355c4c810e665c29fc58_qualcomm_and_zte/