Taiwan's MediaTek in talks with Indian telcos to test 5G solution

Taiwan-based chipset provider MediaTek is in talks with all the leading mobile operators and network vendors in India for testing its 5G solution. 

The company has recently announced its first 5G baseband chipset, Helio M70, which would be ready for commercial launch in first half of 2019. The chipset supports both sub-6 GHz and millimetre wave frequency bands defined by the 5G standard and will meet operator and regional requirements. 

"The M70 5G chipset will be ready by year-end and commercially available by the first half of 2019. It will be tested across all the network vendors," T L Lee, General Manager, Wireless unit, MediaTek told Business Standard. 

MediaTek has been an active member of 5G technology development, participating in the standardisation process and collaborating with equipment makers in conducting 5G network tests. 

India also wants to play a leading role in the development of 5G as the country lagged behind in 2G and 3G. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to create Rs 5-billion fund for development of 5G and has also set up a high-level committee to work out a roadmap for the roll-out of 5G by 2020. The government wants to ensure that standard-essential patents, among other things, also have an Indian IPR. 

A couple of days back, Swedish network gear maker Ericsson had set up a 5G test bed at IIT-Delhi. The technology, which will be commercially available by 2020, will act as a major opportunity in offering services tailored for rural India such as tele-health, tele-education and bandwidth-heavy applications that can drive development in these regions. 

Apart from 5G, MediaTek will look at strengthing its position in the 2G and 4G chipset market in India. The company currently has 30-33 per cent market share, which it wants to increase going forward, on the back of smartphone adoption. Artificial Intelligence is another area where MediaTek will be focusing. The company has introduced new-age chipsets with AI capabilities.
 
Oppo's sub-brand Realme has recently launched MediaTek's AI-based smartphone for Rs 8,990. The company is banking on the mid-range smartphones for the growth of its AI-based chipsets in India. Apart from handset manufacturers like Vivo and Oppo, MediaTek has partnered with internet companies such as Google, Facebook and application developers for AI-enabled technologies. 

"MediaTek is enabling the future of AI by creating an ecosystem of hardware processors across its product range -- from smartphones to smart homes, wearables, internet of things, and connected cars," Lee said.