MediaTek's recently announced mmWave-enabled M80 5G modem chip is likely to fuel competition in the mmWave SoC solution market in the second half of 2021.

MediaTek said that its M80 modem chips, which also support sub-6 GHz 5G, are ideal for being used in smartphones, PCs, Wi-Fi hotspots, CPE and industrial IoT devices.

The chipmaker will incorporate the M80 into its Dimensity SoC lineups for 5G smartphones, as it did for its first-generation 5G modem, the M70, competing with Qualcomm in the 5G mmWave SoC market, according to industry sources.

For PC applications, MediaTek's T700 modem chip, developed in collaboration with Intel, is expected to be featured in Intel-powered devices to be introduced this year.

MediaTek is also preparing its T750 modem chip integrated with 5G radio and quad-core Arm CPU and is designed for high performance CPE products such as fixed wireless access (FWA) router and mobile hotspots (MiFi) in the smallest form factors possible. End-market devices powered by the T700 or T750 are likely to hit the market in late 2021 or early 2022, said the sources.

MediaTek believes the mmWave technology will be gradually gaining momentum in the North American market in 2022-2023, covering not only 5G phones but also 5G CPE device and PC data card markets.

By DIGITIMES