Qualcomm has announced that all an OEM looking to make a new 5G-capable laptop needs is a spare M.2 slot in their prototype's design. This is because the company has invented a module with the corresponding form-factor with a Snapdragon X-series modem on-board. It may thus confer high-speed standalone connectivity on the machine in which it is installed.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Qualcomm-combines-Snapdragon-5G-modems-and-M-2-cards-to-make-connectivity-upgrades-in-next-gen-PCs-easier.605047.0.html
"all you need is an empty M.2 slot" - a multitude of M.2 slot types are currently in use, like, M-Key slots are for SATA SSDs. Which one was Qualcomm talking about?
This is great and all, but computer manufacturers already enforce WWAN whitelists that effectively disable these cards unless the manufacturer profits from its sale... I mean, does validations for "safety" and "compliance"; it's totally for "safety" and "compliance".
In all fairness, the press released seems geared towards OEMs and how easy it will be to integrate 5G into their products. It will not work that well for end costumers, for the reasons stated in my prior comment (i.e., the whitelists).