MediaTek has announced its new M80 5G modem which combines mmWave and sub-6GHz technologies onto a single chip.
The M80 is MediaTek's first 5G modem that comes with support for mmWave, and is expected to sample with customers later in 2021, according to the company.
The new MediaTek M80 5G modem supports ultra-fast speeds on both non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) architectures, with a peak rate of 7.67Gbps in the downlink and 3.76Gbps in the uplink. The M80 also supports dual 5G SIM, dual 5G NSA and SA networks, and dual voice over new radio (VoNR) for more reliable connectivity.
The M80 integrates MediaTek's 5G UltraSave technologies which improve on the single-chip design to provide another layer of extensive power-saving enhancements. MediaTek's UltraSave Network Environment Detection and UltraSave OTA Content Awareness technologies dynamically adjust power configuration and operating frequency based on the network environment. The M80 also integrates MediaTek's Dynamic Bandwidth Part (BWP) technology which is designed to optimize bandwidth use to accommodate light or heavy data throughput requests. Additionally, with the M80's Connected Mode DRX (C-DRX) technology the modem will regularly remain powered in connected standby even when there is no data activity.
"As 5G rollouts accelerate, mmWave is becoming increasingly important, especially in the US. MediaTek's new 5G modem integrates support for both sub-6 GHz and mmWave networks to address this opportunity and give device makers more flexibility," said JC Hsu, corporate VP and GM of MediaTek's wireless communications business unit. "To advance users' 5G experiences, the new modem supports the latest global cellular standards and specifications and it packs MediaTek's signature power savings technologies along with ultra-fast speeds."
MediaTek's 5G modems are ideal for a range of devices ranging from smartphones, PCs, Mi-Fi hotspots, broadband customer premise equipment (CPE), to industrial IoT devices. MediaTek's first-generation 5G modem, the M70, is built into MediaTek's Dimensity series of chipsets for 5G smartphones. The company's 5G portfolio also includes the MediaTek T700, which will power 5G PCs set to hit the market in 2021, along with MediaTek's T750 chipset for 5G fixed wireless access routers (FWA) and mobile hotspot devices.
