MediaTek Inc yesterday said its second 5G system-on-chip (SoC) would hit the market in the second quarter of next year, targeting mid to high-tier smartphones to accelerate the adoption of 5G technology worldwide.

The announcement came as 5G chip competition is heating up: About a month ago, after MediaTek unveiled its first 5G SoC, named Dimensity 1000, for premium 5G smartphones, its bigger rival Qualcomm Inc followed with its own system one week later.

Dimensity 1000 boasts the world’s fastest and most energy-efficient 5G SoC supporting the sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) band, the company has said.

MediaTek’s second 5G SoC, called Dimensity 800, aims to take on Qualcomm’s first 5G SoC, the Snapdragon 765 family, the Hsinchu-based mobile phone chip designer said in a media briefing in Taipei.

MediaTek is to release the new SoC’s specifications at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, next month, it said.

“As more 5G smartphones will become available in 2020, we believe mid-range handsets will be outfitted with 5G chips increasingly following high-end models,” said T.L. Lee, general manager of MediaTek’s wireless communications business unit.

“MediaTek will be proactive in offering 5G solutions to satisfy a wide spectrum of 5G mobile phones at different price points,” Lee said.

It plans to launch its first 5G chips supporting millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology in the second half of next year, Lee said.

“MediaTek has over the past three years been developing the two 5G technologies — sub-6GHz and mmWave. We decided to first commercialize our sub-6 design to cater to clients’ needs and market trends,” Lee said.

Fifty-four out of 56 5G networks deployed by telecoms worldwide have opted for sub-6GHz technology for commercial launches of their 5G services, Lee said, citing the latest statistics from the Global Semiconductor Alliance.

Not only Chinese mobile brands, but also those from the US, Europe and South Korea have engaged with MediaTek to equip their smartphones with the company’s 5G chips, MediaTek said.

Those devices would hit the shelves soon, it said.

Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp is to launch its latest 5G smartphone from the Reno 3 series today, using MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G SoCs.

Next year, global 5G smartphone shipments would far exceed its estimate of 140 million units, and might approach the range of 200 million to 250 million estimated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, MediaTek said.

However, the company said it would not stop offering new 4G smartphone chips next year, given strong demand from emerging markets.

It expects new chips, including 5G chips, to contribute more than 10 percent of total revenue next year.

With good progress in 5G chip development, MediaTek has seen its stock price soar 105 percent to NT$452 since the beginning of this year.

By: DocMemory
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