MediaTek announced that it has joined China Mobile's '5G Device Forerunner Initiative' program to jointly develop 5G terminal devices and 5G chipsets.
As one of the first chip makers participating in the program, MediaTek announced its first 5G baseband chipset, Helio M70, that will be ready in 2019.
The Helio M70 is designed in compliance with the 3GPP Rel-15 5G new radio (NR) standard interface and includes support for standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) network architectures. It also supports sub-6GHz frequency bands, high power user equipment (HPUE), and other key 5G technologies. Beyond Sub-6GHz, MediaTek’s 5G solution will also support mmWave frequency to meet the requirements from different operators.
MediaTek said that it has been an active member of 5G technology development, participating in the standardization of the full 5G feature set, and collaborating with equipment makers in conducting 5G network tests. To date, MediaTek claims that it has already achieved the industry-leading 5Gbps data rate over the sub-6GHz frequency band.
HTC, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker has also joined the program. The Company recently signed an agreement with China Mobile to accelerate the development of next-generation 5G devices and mass adoption of VR/AR in China.
Chuang Cheng-Te, Corporate Sr. VP, MediaTek
With the commercialization of the first 5G baseband chipset, Helio M70, consumers will be able to enjoy the exciting 5G experience at a more reasonable price point.
