Taiwan chipmaker MediaTek has introduced a 5G chipset targeted at the first wave of the new 5G smartphones coming onto the market.
The integrated 5G chipset is a multi-mode, 7 nm system-on-chip powered by ARM’s Cortex-A77 CPU, Mali-G77 GPU and an artificial intelligence processing unit built in-house. The chipset is for both 5G standalone and non-standalone (SA/NSA) sub-6 GHz low-bandwidth networks.
NSA is seen as the bridge between 4G and 5G networks where the chipset works in both modes while standalone is built for just 5G networks. The MediaTek chipset supports connectivity from 2G to 4G to bridge existing networks access to 5G networks.
Integrated with the Helio M70 5G modem, the chipset allows for 4.7 Gbps download speeds and 2.5 Gbps upload speeds.
Companies collaborating with MediaTek on RF technology include Chinese smartphone maker Oppo, Vivo and RF suppliers such as Skyworks, Qorvo and muRata that are designing the front-end module that can accommodate 5G and still keep the device thin. MediaTek said it is working with cellular operators, equipment makers and suppliers for mobile 5G technologies as well as smart homes and smart cars.
The chipset is slated to be available for commercial devices by the first quarter of 2020.
