Mediatek
Analysis: Nvidia–MediaTek Deepen AI Platform Collaboration -What it Means for AI RAN & DCI
Executive Summary:
Nvidia has expanded its partnership with Taiwan based semiconductor firm MediaTek, committing $3.5 billion to a bond investment the two companies describe as a deepening of their “longstanding collaboration to build the next generations of AI computing platforms.” The move extends Nvidia’s pattern of strategic capital deployment across its compute ecosystem, this time reaching into custom silicon and advanced packaging.
According to the announcement, the collaboration couples Nvidia’s accelerated computing, AI, graphics, and software stack with MediaTek’s capabilities in custom silicon, high-performance computing (HPC), system-on-chip (SoC) design, and advanced packaging. MediaTek vice chairman and CEO Rick Tsai framed the investment as reinforcing a relationship spanning “cloud AI infrastructure, local AI computing and automotive in the era of physical AI,” combining Nvidia’s accelerated-computing and AI software ecosystem with MediaTek’s AI technology portfolio and custom-silicon resources.
Over the past several years, MediaTek has repositioned itself from a supplier of predominantly mid- and low-tier handset chipsets into a presence across smartphones, AI data centers, automotive, and IoT. Securities firm Yuanta Financial Holdings expects the closer alignment to accelerate MediaTek’s transition from edge AI into data-center infrastructure, device-based AI computing, and automotive platforms. Trading in MediaTek shares was suspended on the Taipei exchange Tuesday after the stock hit its daily 10% upside limit. The shares closed at NT$4,315 (about US$136.05), reflecting investor enthusiasm for the deepening of the collaboration.
NVIDIA and MediaTek are collaborating in three major areas:
- AI infrastructure: MediaTek will work with NVIDIA’s NVLink Fusion ecosystem to enable customers to develop custom AI infrastructure designed to integrate with NVIDIA rack-scale systems and AI factories.
- Local AI computing: The companies will continue to collaborate on multiple generations of NVIDIA RTX Spark™ and DGX Spark™ PC chips, powering consumer PCs, AI developer supercomputers and enterprise-class workstations, that integrate NVIDIA GPUs with MediaTek SoCs.
- Automotive: MediaTek and NVIDIA will continue developing platforms for AI-powered, software-defined vehicles in the era of physical AI.
“AI is transforming every computing platform — from the world’s largest AI factories to the PC and the car,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “MediaTek is one of the world’s great semiconductor companies, with exceptional expertise in system-on-chip design, connectivity, leading performance and power efficiency. Together, we’re building platforms that bring NVIDIA accelerated computing to new markets and give customers the freedom to create differentiated AI systems at enormous scale.”
“MediaTek and NVIDIA share a vision for making advanced AI computing pervasive across the technology landscape,” said Rick Tsai, vice chairman and CEO of MediaTek. “NVIDIA’s investment strengthens a collaboration that spans cloud AI infrastructure, local AI computing and automotive in the era of physical AI. By combining NVIDIA’s leadership in accelerated computing and AI software ecosystem with MediaTek’s expertise in a diverse AI technology portfolio from edge to cloud, and our leadership position in custom silicon, we can accelerate innovation for our customers.”
Custom AI Infrastructure and NVLink Fusion:
Yuanta identified MediaTek’s participation in Nvidia’s NVLink Fusion as the most consequential element of the arrangement. Through that linkage, MediaTek could support the design of custom AI chips for clients while connecting them directly into Nvidia’s AI infrastructure — a complementary rather than competing role alongside the GPU vendor’s proprietary interconnect fabric.
The scale of the bond purchase also signals Nvidia’s long-term commitment to the relationship. Nvidia, currently the world’s most valuable company at roughly a $5 trillion market capitalization, has been deploying capital aggressively across both upstream and downstream partners. This latest deal, however, inevitably risks overlapping with other Nvidia investments — notably its $2 billion partnership with Marvell, which is also heavily oriented around NVLink Fusion and pitch-for the RAN with a one-chip architecture.
NVLink Fusion vs. Ethernet Scale-Out Interconnect:
NVLink Fusion and Ethernet-based scale-out interconnects target fundamentally different layers of the AI fabric, and the distinction turns on memory semantics rather than raw link rate. NVLink Fusion sits in the scale-up domain: it delivers memory-coherent, tightly coupled attachment for custom XPUs into Nvidia’s rack-scale NVLink fabric, with point-to-point GPU/XPU-to-GPU/XPU connectivity and an integrated high-bandwidth-memory interface (NVHBM) that trades die area and power for latency and bandwidth. It is proprietary, closed, and full-coherency by design — precisely the properties that make it hard for open standards to clone. Ethernet scale-out, by contrast, is the scale-out workhorse governing traffic between racks, pods, and clusters; it is loss-based, coarser-grained, and standardized through Ultra Ethernet and the broader IEEE 802.3 ecosystem.
The real contest is not NVLink against Ethernet so much as how much of the memory-coherent scale-up domain Ethernet-based challengers can capture. Standards-backed alternatives — UALink 2.0, Ultra Ethernet, and Broadcom’s Scale-Up Ethernet (SUE) — are pressing into scale-up territory, but they lack NVLink’s memory coherency and direct XPU-to-XPU connectivity, and SUE explicitly does not wire GPUs directly to GPUs. Meanwhile Nvidia’s strategy with NVLink Fusion is to co-opt custom XPUs (AWS Trainium4, and now MediaTek- and Marvell-designed silicon) into its fabric rather than let them migrate to those open scale-up paths. The practical outcome in the data center is a layered model — Ethernet surging in scale-out, and NVLink Fusion consolidating the latency-sensitive, memory-coherent scale-up spine — with Nvidia working to keep its proprietary layer the mandatory gateway that custom accelerators must pass through to reach the wider Ethernet-based world.
The $3.5 billion convertible-bond investment is best read not as a portfolio decision but as a defensive move within the AI rack-scale interconnect stack. The technical centerpiece is MediaTek’s adoption of the NVLink Fusion platform. Nvidia positions it as the connectivity technology and intellectual property that lets hyperscalers and AI-native operators drop custom accelerators (“XPUs”) and CPUs directly into its NVLink scale-up fabric.
MediaTek will now build against the three subsystems that define NVLink Fusion: the NVLink Fusion chiplet, which bridges a customer’s custom XPU to the NVLink scale-up domain over photonic or electrical interconnects (the chiplet itself carries up to ~1.8 TB/s of bidirectional bandwidth); NVLink-C2C, the high-bandwidth die-to-die link between XPUs, Nvidia’s Vera/Rosa CPUs, and other compatible processors; and NVHBM, a customized high-bandwidth-memory interface that trades off die area and power efficiency. The strategic significance is that Nvidia is effectively licensing its interconnect and memory layer as a licensable subsystem rather than enforcing a closed, all-Nvidia island — which lets it absorb “frenemy” silicon into the fabric instead of fighting it.
Two implications stand out for interconnect strategy:
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A hedge on hyperscaler in-house silicon. AWS has already integrated its Trainium4 custom ASICs with NVLink Fusion for rack-scale deployment, and Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI are all advancing private accelerators. By standardizing the interface (NVLink Fusion, NVLink-C2C, NVHBM, chiplets, and rack-scale integration) that these custom XPUs must speak, Nvidia keeps chiplets, packages, memory, and racks—the connective infrastructure itself—inside its own revenue funnel. MediaTek, in turn, becomes the design conduit that helps hyperscalers and frontier model firms get to that tape-out without building an independent scale-up stack.
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The scale-up vs. scale-out contest sharpens. NVLink remains essentially the only mature, memory-coherent scale-up fabric in production, whereas Ethernet is consolidating its dominance in scale-out (front-end and increasingly AI back-end) fabrics, and standards like Ultra Ethernet, UALink, and Broadcom’s Scale-Up Ethernet (SUE) are pressing into the scale-up domain. UALink and SUE, notably, lack NVLink’s memory coherency and point-to-point GPU-to-GPU connectivity, so NVLink Fusion’s positioning — co-opting custom XPUs rather than competing with them — lowers the attack surface those open standards could otherwise exploit.
The buy-in therefore consolidates Nvidia’s grip on the two layers that are hardest to commoditize: the latency-sensitive scale-up interconnect and the custom-silicon design flow that feeds it. What operators and chip partners give up is architectural independence — the bond structure and NVLink Fusion licensing effectively bind MediaTek into Nvidia’s ecosystem rather than allowing it to become an independent AI data-center silicon house.
What It Means for AI-RAN:
For the RAN, this is arguably a more consequential signal than the data-center economics. Nvidia’s AI-RAN play, via the AI Aerial software-defined accelerated-computing platform and its founding role in the AI-RAN Alliance, is built on having vRAN and AI workloads share the same GPU-accelerated infrastructure — what the community variously calls “AI for RAN,” “AI on RAN,” and “AI-and-RAN” on common hardware.nvidia+1
Here the MediaTek deal intersects directly with Nvidia’s earlier $2 billion Marvell partnership, which last year wired Marvell into the same NVLink Fusion platform for both the AI factory and AI-RAN ecosystem — Marvell supplying custom XPUs and NVLink Fusion-compatible scale-up networking, while Nvidia contributes the Vera CPU, ConnectX NICs, BlueField DPUs, Spectrum-X switches, and the rack-scale AI compute. The two arrangements are complementary in practice but overlapping in intent: Marvell owns the scale-up networking and the “one-chip-to-rule-the-RAN” custom silicon angle, while MediaTek brings SoC design, advanced packaging, and stronger reach into edge, automotive, and device-grade silicon. Together they give Nvidia two design houses capable of producing custom XPUs that plug into both data-center racks and AI-RAN infrastructure.
The operative question for IEEE readers is whether this broadens the AI-RAN supplier base going forward. Ericsson and Samsung have indicated their vRAN software built for Intel could be ported to AMD or Arm silicon with relatively modest effort, and Dell’Oro projections already have AI-RAN taking a significant share of the broader RAN market. Nvidia’s strategy is to ensure that, however the RAN silicon shakes out, the scale-up fabric and the custom-XPU design path remain NVLink Fusion-based — extending its data-center interconnect franchise into the radio access domain itself. The risk, flagged in the news report, is over-concentration: stacking Marvell and MediaTek onto the same NVLink Fusion foundation concentrates architectural leverage in Nvidia’s hands and could crowd out the open, multi-vendor fabric choices that O-RAN advocates would prefer to see served by standard Ethernet and UALink-style paths.
References:
https://www.lightreading.com/finance/nvidia-tips-3-5b-into-mediatek-in-latest-tech-partnership
Analysis: Nvidia’s $2 billion investment in Marvell; NVLink Fusion ecosystem & RAN vendor silicon strategy
Ericsson and MediaTek Demonstrate 3GPP-Based GNSS RTK Positioning with Sub-30cm Accuracy Over a Commercial 5G Network
5G infrastructure moves from coverage and speeds to cloud-native, orchestration, automation and AI-assisted networks
MediaTek overtakes Qualcomm in 5G smartphone chip market
Research & Markets: WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 Chipset Market Report; Independent Analysis
According to Research & Markets, the WiFi 6E (IEEE 802.11ax) and WiFi 7 (IEEE 802.11be [1.]) chipset market is expanding rapidly, with projections indicating a rise from $33.65 billion in 2024 to $40.50 billion by 2025, and estimates reaching $149.65 billion by 2032. This growth reflects a notable CAGR of 20.50%, primarily driven by organizations upgrading their wireless networks in response to rising digital application use and increasing data volume.
Note 1. IEEE 802.11be standard was published July 22, 2025. The Project Approval Request (PAR) is here.
Enterprises today require scalable, secure wireless infrastructure capable of supporting diverse and demanding workloads. The latest WiFi chipsets improve network performance, facilitate secure operations, and support robust digital transformation strategies. Adopting Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 chipsets positions organizations to deliver secure, agile connectivity with higher speeds and lower latency.
- Application Areas: Automotive organizations implement advanced chipsets to support secure, reliable vehicle connectivity and enhance driver-assistance systems. In consumer electronics, manufacturers drive higher interactivity and seamless device experiences with updated wireless integration. Enterprises emphasize improved workforce mobility, while healthcare adopts secure, high-speed wireless for telemedicine and remote diagnostics. Industry operators deploy chipsets to enable robotics, automation, and smart manufacturing environments.
- End Users: Commercial enterprises in sectors such as hospitality, offices, and retail seek enhanced connectivity to increase operational efficiency and elevate customer engagement. Industrial segments-including utilities and manufacturing-prioritize automation and resilient communications infrastructure. Residential users focus on smart technology integration and flexible, connected home environments.
- Chipset Technologies: Integrated combo chips provide straightforward deployment for rapid delivery and compatibility, while discrete chipsets offer a tailored approach in high-volume or specialized scenarios. System-on-chip solutions bring high-density integration, maximizing energy efficiency and aligning with sustainability targets.
- Distribution Channels: Organizations maintain robust supply chains utilizing established resellers and digital platforms, ensuring prompt response to evolving logistical demands and market conditions.
- Regional Coverage: The Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific each offer unique opportunities and regulatory landscapes, guiding deployment strategies and technology adoption in response to local dynamics.
- Company Profiles: The industry includes innovation-focused leaders such as Broadcom, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. These companies exhibit diverse approaches to integration and product differentiation across the competitive landscape.
Strategic Insights:
- The expanded wireless spectrum empowers businesses to scale connectivity, supporting data-rich operational environments where performance stability and capacity are critical.
- Next-generation chipset architectures enhance automation and real-time data management, particularly in healthcare and manufacturing, strengthening capabilities for time-sensitive applications.
- Collaborations between chipset vendors and device manufacturers improve compatibility, enabling tailored wireless infrastructure to address bespoke enterprise requirements.
- Maintaining a flexible supply approach-leveraging diverse distribution channels-supports organizational agility in facing evolving international trade and supply scenarios.
- Ongoing improvements in wireless security and system reliability support compliance and data protection needs for sectors operating under stringent regulatory requirements.
Market Insights:
- Surge in demand for Wi-Fi 7 chipsets optimized for multi-gigabit data throughput in dense public venues
- Integration of advanced OFDMA and multi-user MIMO enhancements to support simultaneous high-bandwidth applications
- Adoption of 6 GHz spectrum by enterprise networks to enable low-latency connectivity for critical IoT devices
- Development of energy-efficient chipset architectures to extend battery life in mobile and IoT applications
- Emergence of AI-driven adaptive beamforming techniques to improve signal reliability in complex environments
- Strategic partnerships between chipset vendors and cloud providers to accelerate edge computing deployments
- Certification focus on security enhancements such as WPA3-SAE to address evolving wireless threat vectors
- Custom chipset solutions for automotive and industrial automation requiring ultra-reliable low-latency performance
For more information about this report visit: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q1rlgd
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Independent Analysis:
The top three WiFi chipset vendors are:
- Broadcom Inc.: Broadcom is generally recognized as the market leader in the Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7 segment, particularly in terms of revenue share. They supply chips for a wide range of devices, from high-performance consumer routers (e.g., Netgear, Asus models) to enterprise-grade networking equipment, and are a key supplier for platform upgrades like those in flagship smartphones.
- Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.: Qualcomm is a major competitor, especially in the mobile and networking infrastructure segments. Their “FastConnect 7800” chipset has positioned them for significant growth, with Wi-Fi 6E and 7 products expected to comprise a large portion of their Wi-Fi sales in 2025. They are also a primary chip provider for many high-end routers and mesh systems.
- MediaTek Inc.: MediaTek is a strong player, particularly in the consumer electronics space and in Asia-Pacific markets. Their “Filogic 380/880” Wi-Fi 7 chipsets have seen high demand, and they have strong partnerships with major brands like TP-Link and ZTE.
Other WiFi chipset vendors include: Marvell Technology Group, Intel, Realtek Semiconductor Corporation NXP Semiconductors, Texas Instruments, and Samsung Electronics Co. The market is competitive, with these vendors heavily investing in R&D and strategic partnerships to drive the adoption of new Wi-Fi standards from IEEE 802.11 WG.
The top markets for WiFi 6E/7 chipsets are: Smartphones, PC /laptops, Access Point/WiFi routers, CPE /gateways /extenders, industry verticals (e.g. manufacturing, automotive, industrial, home appliances, gaming, augmented reality, etc).
Sources: Gemini, Perplexity AI
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References:
https://www.ieee802.org/11/PARs/P802_11be_PAR_Detail.pdf
Wireless Broadband Alliance Report: WiFi 7, converged Wi-Fi and 5G, AI/Cognitive networks, and OpenRoaming
WiFi 7: Backgrounder and CES 2025 Announcements
WiFi 7 and the controversy over 6 GHz unlicensed vs licensed spectrum
MediaTek to expand chipset portfolio to include WiFi7, smart homes, STBs, telematics and IoT
MediaTek Announces Filogic Connectivity Family for WiFi 6/6E
Intel and Broadcom complete first Wi-Fi 7 cross-vendor demonstration with speeds over 5 Gbps
Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 combining WiFi 7 and Bluetooth in single chip
Rethink Research: Private 5G deployment will be faster than public 5G; WiFi 6E will also be successful
WBA field trial of Low Power Indoor Wi-Fi 6E with CableLabs, Intel and Asus
Aruba Introduces Industry’s 1st Enterprise-Grade Wi-Fi 6E Access Point
MediaTek overtakes Qualcomm in 5G smartphone chip market
According to new figures from Omdia’s Smartphone Model Market Tracker, shipments of 5G smartphones powered by Taiwan based MediaTek reached 53 million in the first three months of the year, representing an impressive 53% uptick on Q1 2023. Shipments of smartphones with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon inside were comparatively flat, inching up to 48.3 million from 47.2 million.
MediaTek’s market share in 5G smartphones rose to 29.2% in 1Q24, up from 22.8% in 1Q23, while Qualcomm Snapdragon’s share decreased from 31.2% to 26.5% over the same period.
As a result, MediaTek’s market share in the 5G smartphone chipset market increased to 29.2% from 22.8%, while Qualcomm’s fell to 26.5% from 31.2%. Apple is third, while a Samsung owned Exynos, Huawei-owned HiSilicon’s Kirin, Google Tensor and Shanghai-based Unisoc make up the rest (see chart below).
Notes:
- It’s not clear whether Omdia includes both processors and 5G modem chip sets in their statistics.
- Apple uses in-house processors for its iPhones, but it still relies on Qualcomm for the 5G modem chips.
- Both MediaTek and Qualcomm sell SoC’s which include both a 4G/5G modem and an ARM processor.
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According to Omdia, Q1 shipments of 5G smartphones below $250 surged by 62% year-on-year to 62.8 million. This favors MediaTek as the preferred choice for this segment. Furthermore, in June, Omdia also reported in booming demand for sub-$150 phones, with shipments in this category growing to 120 million in the first quarter, up from 90 million a year earlier.
“The smartphone chipset industry is primarily shaped by two major trends: the widespread adoption of 5G and the expanding low-end segment. As 5G technology becomes more affordable and is integrated into smartphones priced below $250, MediaTek stands to benefit the most,” explained Aaron West, senior analyst in Omdia’s smartphone group.
The premium end of the market, where prices start at $600, is also growing – albeit not as rapidly. According to Omdia, shipments increased to 73 million from 70 million, driven by the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The popularity of premium devices should help Qualcomm come roaring back – it has spent much of this year promoting the on-device AI capabilities of its latest Snapdragon chipset, features that will be incorporated first and foremost into pricier handsets.
“On-device AI capabilities are becoming increasingly important to smartphone OEMs, with Snapdragon emerging as a key innovator and preferred choice for premium devices,” West said.
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Other Voices:
- According to Markets and Markets, the global 5G chipsets market size is estimated to be USD 36.29 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 81.03 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 17.4%.
- Grandview Markets says the global 5G chipset market size was estimated at USD 39.32 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.7% from 2024 to 2030.
Illustrations:
References:
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/mediatek-outgrowing-qualcomm-snapdragon-in-the-5g-smartphone-market-omdia
https://www.telecoms.com/mobile-devices/rise-of-cheaper-5g-phones-lifts-mediatek-above-qualcomm
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/5g-chipset-market-150390562.html
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/5g-chipset-market
GSA: More 5G SA devices, but commercial 5G SA deployments lag
Global 5G Market Snapshot; Dell’Oro and GSA Updates on 5G SA networks and devices
Mediatek Dimensity 6000 series with lower power consumption for affordable 5G devices
Mediatek Dimensity 6000 series with lower power consumption for affordable 5G devices
MediaTek [1.] today officially launched its new Dimensity 6000 series along with a chipset designed to enhance the next generation of mainstream 5G devices. The Dimensity 6100+ SoC delivers premium features—including exceptional power efficiency, vivid displays, high frame rates, AI-powered camera technologies, leading low power consumption, and reliable Sub-6 5G connectivity—at an accessible price point.
The ‘Enhanced’ 5G modem on the chip supports 3GPP Release 16, with up to 140 MHz 2CC 5G Carrier Aggregation (more details below). The SoC also uses MediaTek’s UltraSave 3.0+ technology that the company claims “significantly reduces 5G power consumption” by up to 20% when compared to other available solutions in the market.
Note 1. Taiwan based Mediatek is one of 3 fabless semiconductor companies making and selling 5G baseband silicon. The other 2 are Qualcomm and Unisoc (China). In addition, Huawei and Samsung make 5G chips which are embedded in their 5G endpoint products, but not sold on the merchant semiconductor market.
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“As developing markets continue rolling out 5G networks at a rapid pace and operators in developed markets work to finish transitioning consumers from 4G LTE to 5G, there has never been a more vital need for chipsets that cater to the growing number of mainstream mobile devices that feature next-generation connectivity,” said CH Chen, Deputy General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business Unit. “The MediaTek Dimensity 6000 series makes it possible for device makers to stay ahead of the curve with impressive upgrades that boost performance, increase power efficiency and reduce material costs,” Chen added.
The Dimensity 6100+ integrates an enhanced 5G modem supporting 3GPP Release 16 with up to 140MHz 2CC 5G Carrier Aggregation, significantly reducing power consumption contributed by MediaTek UltraSave 3.0+ technology. This chip features two Arm Cortex-A76 big cores and six Arm Cortex-A55 efficiency cores, offering notable enhancements, including support for AI-powered cameras, 10-bit displays, outstanding UX and GPU performance, and rich peripheral features.
Other key features of the Dimensity 6100+ chipset include:
- Up to 108MP Non-ZSL camera support.
- Up to 2K 30fps video capture.
- UltraSave 3.0+ technology offers 20% reduced 5G power consumption compared to competitive solutions.
- Powerful camera features including AI-bokeh for stunning portraits and selfies; working with Arcsoft, MediaTek is also bringing AI-color technology to mainstream devices so users can showcase their creativity.
- Premium 10-bit display support: Reproduces more than one billion colors for vibrant images and videos, along with support for 90Hz to 120Hz frame rates for a smooth user experience.
MediaTek’s broad 5G portfolio expands across different price tiers to make great mobile experiences more accessible. The Dimensity 9000 series is designed for flagship smartphones and tablets; the Dimensity 8000 family is geared for premium mobile devices; and the Dimensity 7000 lineup expands the company’s range of high-tech devices. The new Dimensity 6000 series will now democratize higher-end features to mainstream 5G devices.
The first smartphones featuring the Dimensity 6100+ chipset will be available in the third quarter of 2023.
References:
https://i.mediatek.com/mediatek-5g
Samsung-Mediatek 5G uplink trial with 3 transmit antennas
Ericsson and MediaTek set new 5G uplink speed record using Uplink Carrier Aggregation
MediaTek Introduces Global Ecosystem of Wi-Fi 7 Products at CES 2023
MediaTek to expand chipset portfolio to include WiFi7, smart homes, STBs, telematics and IoT
Nokia, China Mobile, MediaTek speed record of ~3 Gbps in 3CC carrier aggregation trial
Samsung-Mediatek 5G uplink trial with 3 transmit antennas
Samsung Electronics and MediaTek have successfully conducted 5G standalone (SA) uplink tests, using three transmit (3Tx) antennas instead of the typical two, to demonstrate the potential for improved upload experiences with current smartphones and customer premise equipment (CPE).
Until recently, most talk about 5G SA industry firsts have focused on the downlink. However, the demands on uplink performance are increasing with the rise of live streaming, multi-player gaming and video conferences. Upload speeds determine how fast your device can send data to gaming servers or transmit high-resolution videos to the cloud. As more consumers seek to document and share their experiences with the world in real-time, enhanced uplink experiences provide an opportunity to use the network to improve how they map out their route home, check player stats online and upload videos and selfies to share with friends and followers.
While current smartphones and customer premise equipment (CPEs) can only support 2Tx antennas, this industry-first demonstration validated the enhanced mobile capability of 3Tx antenna support. This approach not only improves upload speeds but also enhances spectrum and data transmission efficiency, as well as overall network performance.
The test was conducted in Samsung’s lab, based in Suwon, Korea. Samsung provided its industry-leading 5G network solutions, including its C-Band Massive MIMO radios, virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and core. The MediaTek test device featuring its new M80-based CPE chipset began with one uplink channel apiece at 1,900MHz and 3.7GHz, but added an extra uplink flow using MIMO on 3.7GHz. Both companies achieved a peak throughput rate of 363Mbps, an uplink speed that is near theoretical peak using 3Tx antennas.
Source: ZTE
“We are excited to have successfully achieved this industry breakthrough with MediaTek, bringing greater efficiency and performance to consumer devices,” said Dongwoo Lee, Head of Technology Solution Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Faster uplink speeds bring new possibilities and have the potential to transform user experiences. This milestone further demonstrates our commitment to improving our customers’ networks using the most advanced technology available.”
“Enhancing uplink performance using groundbreaking tri-antenna and 5G UL infrastructure technologies will ensure next-generation 5G experiences continue to impress users globally,” said HC Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication System and Partnership at MediaTek. “Our collaboration with Samsung has proved our combined technical capabilities to overcome previous limits, enhancing network performance and efficiency, opening up new possibilities for service providers and consumers to enjoy faster and more reliable 5G data connectivity.”
“With demands on mobile networks rising, enhancing upload performance is essential to improving consumer and enterprise connectivity, as well as application experiences,” said Will Townsend, VP & Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. “Samsung and MediaTek have achieved an important 5G Standalone milestone in a demonstration which underscores a tangible network benefit and does so in a way that can help operators maximize efficiency.”
Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio, from virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company currently provides network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
References:
Ericsson and MediaTek set new 5G uplink speed record using Uplink Carrier Aggregation
Nokia achieves extended range mmWave 5G speed record in Finland
Huawei and China Telecom Jointly Release 5G Super Uplink Innovation Solution
https://www.telecomhall.net/t/5g-uplink-enhancement-technology-by-zte-white-paper/20183
Ericsson and MediaTek set new 5G uplink speed record using Uplink Carrier Aggregation
Ericsson and MediaTek have set a new 5G uplink speed record of 440 Mbps in low-band and mid-band spectrum using Uplink Carrier Aggregation. That uplink speed was achieved in an Ericsson lab. The test was performed with Ericsson’s Radio Access Network (RAN) Compute Baseband 6648 and a mobile device using a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 flagship 5G smartphone chipset.
More precisely, the combination used was 50MHz FDD n1 and 100MHz TDD n77. By aggregating these two bands, communications service providers can considerably increase their uplink speeds, resulting in better network performance and user experience. The fast uplink speed brings better, smoother experiences for the likes of video conference users, streamers, and their audience with more frames per second and higher image resolution. The 440 Mbps 5G upload speed achieved in the lab compares to an average of 26.78 Mbps outdoors and 22.98 Mbps indoors, as per a Cellsmart survey.
Sibel Tombaz, Head of Product Line 5G RAN, Ericsson, said: ”Super-fast uplink speeds make a big difference in the user experience. From lag-free live streaming, video conferencing and AR/VR apps, to more immersive gaming and extended reality (XR) technologies. The 440 Mbps upload speed achieved by Ericsson and MediaTek will help make that difference. We are also continuously designing innovative solutions for optimizing 5G networks so our customers can make the best use of their spectrum assets.”
Service providers are seeking innovative ways of boosting capacity while using existing spectrum efficiently to meet growing demands for wireless data and applications. This is where carrier aggregation comes in, optimizing the service provider’s spectrum assets to bring to users better coverage, increased capacity, and higher data speeds.
HC Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication System and Partnership at MediaTek, said: “The successful result of combining Ericsson’s state-of-the-art 5G Baseband and MediaTek’s flagship smartphone chip has achieved another 5G industry milestone, and paves the way for superior mobile experiences to benefit users every day.” Uplink speed is becoming more crucial with the expected uptake of
gaming, XR, and video-based apps. For example, as AR devices gain popularity with larger augmentation objects, rendering becomes more demanding. This increases the demand on networks to deliver higher throughput and lower latency.
Uplink speed is becoming more crucial with the expected uptake of gaming, XR, and video-based apps. For example, as AR devices gain popularity with larger augmentation objects, rendering becomes more demanding. This increases the demand on networks to deliver higher throughput and lower latency.
Earlier this year, AT&T boasted that it had completed what was believed to be the first 5G standalone (SA) uplink 2-carrier aggregation data connection in the U.S.
The connection was made at its Redmond, Washington, lab, where they achieved upload speeds of over 120 Mbps with a combination of 850 MHz and 3.7 GHz spectrum.
In May, T-Mobile reported reaching uplink speeds over 200 Mbps in a 5G data call using uplink CA; in that case, they used T-Mobile’s live commercial 5G SA network as opposed to a lab environment. T-Mobile used 2.5 GHz and 1.9 GHz bands.
References:
https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/ericsson-mediatek-claim-upload-speed-record-440-mbps
CELLSMART: 5G upload speeds are insufficient for industrial/enterprise applications
Cellsmart: 5G download performance improves but upload performance lags
MediaTek Introduces Global Ecosystem of Wi-Fi 7 Products at CES 2023
Taiwan based MediaTek, one of the first adopters of Wi-Fi 7 [1.] technology, will be demonstrating a full ecosystem of production-ready devices featuring the next generation of wireless connectivity for the first time at CES 2023. These products are the culmination of MediaTek’s investment in Wi-Fi 7 technology, focusing on reliable and always-on connected experiences on a wide variety of devices in several product categories, including residential gateways, mesh routers, televisions, streaming devices, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more.
Note 1. Wi-Fi 7 refers to the IEEE 802.11be standard, whereas Wi-Fi 6 was IEEE 802.11ax, and Wi-Fi 5 was IEEE 802.11ac.
As the most current and powerful Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) utilizes record-breaking 320MHz channel bandwidth and 4096-QAM modulation to greatly improve overall user experience. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) also enables the Wi-Fi connection to aggregate channel speeds and alleviate link interruption in congested environment for time-demanding applications.
“Last year, we gave the world’s first Wi-Fi 7 technology demonstration, and we are honored to now show the significant progress we have made in building a more complete ecosystem of products,” said Alan Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intelligent Connectivity Business unit at MediaTek. “This lineup of devices, many of which are powered by the CES 2023 Innovation Award-winning Filogic 880 flagship chipset, illustrates our commitment to providing the best wireless connectivity.”
Using a 6nm process, MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 solution offers a reduction in main power consumption by 50% and 100x lower MLO switch latency when compared to competing options. 4T5R and penta-band mesh are also included to address a larger area of coverage and higher number of linked devices.
The devices on demonstration this week utilize MediaTek’s latest Filogic chips, which combines a Wi-Fi 7 access point technology to broadband operators, retail router channels and enterprise markets; and the Filogic 380 chipset, designed to bring Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to all client devices, including smartphone, tablet, laptops, TVs, and streaming devices.
“We are excited to collaborate with MediaTek on the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology. Fast and reliable wireless connectivity is crucial for consumers, and we believe that combining powerful AMD Ryzen processors with MediaTek’s advanced connectivity technologies will deliver an excellent user experience,” said Jason Banta, corporate vice president and general manager, client OEM at AMD.
“A strong, fast, and reliable Wi-Fi connection is one of the most critical components of competitive gaming, and can mean the difference between winning and losing a match,” said Ouyang Jun, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Business Segment, Lenovo’s Intelligent Device Group. “MediaTek’s vision for excellence in Wi-Fi connectivity mirrors our own commitment to empowering gamers with immersive, high-performance PC gaming experiences, and we look forward to collaborating together to bring MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 technology to upcoming Lenovo Legion devices.”
“We greatly enjoy MediaTek Filogic’s, fast, reliable and always-on connected Wi-Fi solution,” said Rangoon Chang, head of Gaming Business Unit, ASUS. “With MediaTek’s world leading Wi-Fi technology and innovative ecosystem, we strive for leadership in providing the extreme experience for gamers around the globe.”
“With the introduction of 320 MHz channels in the 6 GHz band and Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Wi-Fi 7 will deliver ultra-high speed and lower latency,” said Pingji Li, VP & GM, TP-Link Corporation Limited. “MediaTek Filogic 880’s innovative design delivers outstanding performance on top of Wi-Fi 7 standards, such as 4×5 6 GHz and single-chip MLO. We are excited to collaborate with our longtime partner, MediaTek, on Wi-Fi 7 to create new ways for customers to experience applications.”
“As a leader in networking products and services for more than 23 years, BUFFALO has always been among the first to implement new Wi-Fi technology, and Wi-Fi 7 is no exception,” said Nobuhiro Tamura, General Manager, Network Product Development Division, BUFFALO INC. “We are glad to see MediaTek put a lot of investment in leading technology, and would like to congratulate them on showcasing the latest Wi-Fi 7 solutions at CES 2023.”
“Today’s consumers want fast, reliable and always-on connected Wi-Fi for many applications such as video calls, 4K/8K TV entertainment, real-time gaming, streaming and more,” said Byung-Kyun Kim, Senior Vice President, Korea Telecom. “MediaTek Wi-Fi 7 technology is equipped with extremely high throughput and single MAC MLO (Multi-Link Operation), which can fulfill every demanding application consumers enjoy today.”
“With MediaTek’s single chip MLO technology, we can bring high throughput and low latency performance to enhance user experience on streaming, gaming, and various immersive contents,” said Mr. Yu, SVP in Hisense Group. “Hisense is excited to continue the partnership with MediaTek to bring Wi-Fi 7 on Hisense TV products.”
“MediaTek recognizes the demand and expectation for the fastest speeds and lowest latency from wireless devices,” said John O’Neill, Vice President, Marketing, Skyworks. “Together, our joint reference design provides customers a platform to develop new and unimagined applications. We are excited to deliver cutting-edge technology together that allows consumers to realize the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 that supports 320 MHz channels, 4K QAM and Multi-Link Operation (MLO).”
“As a strong driver of Wi-Fi 7, MediaTek helps its customers harness the massive improvements in throughput, latency, client connections and reliability,” said Tony Testa, General Manager Connectivity Components, Qorvo. “We are excited to utilize MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 7 solution in order to tackle its impressive 4K QAM, 320 MHz, 6 GHz channels and Multi-Link Operation.”
“As companies move to Wi-Fi 7 it is critical that they be able to test the fastest available data rate modes, and we have worked with MediaTek to create an industry leading test solution that meets this vital need,” said John Lukez, Vice President LitePoint Applications, Litepoint. “As we head into this new era of wireless connectivity, working with a leading Wi-Fi innovator like MediaTek will enable our mutual customers to quickly and seamlessly ramp their products into high volume production.”
“We are truly impressed with MediaTek’s speed to market with almost every cutting-edge technology, such as single MAC MLO, 320MHz BW and 4096 QAM,” said Jesse Lyles, Vice President of Semiconductor Validation and Electronics Solutions, NI. “The increased amount of complexity needed to achieve top performance and backward compatibility with Wi-Fi 7 drastically increases the need for a full-scale automated test and validation solution. NI works together with MediaTek with its software-connected RF instrumentation to achieve the time-to-market goals of mutual customers and to ensure their superior performance capabilities.”
To learn more about MediaTek’s Filogic portfolio, please visit: https://www.mediatek.com/products/networking-and-connectivity/.
About MediaTek Inc.
MediaTek Incorporated is a global fabless semiconductor company that enables nearly 2 billion connected devices a year. We are a market leader in developing innovative systems-on-chip (SoC) for mobile, home entertainment, connectivity and IoT products. Our dedication to innovation has positioned us as a driving market force in several key technology areas, including highly power-efficient mobile technologies, automotive solutions and a broad range of advanced multimedia products such as smartphones, tablets, digital televisions, 5G, Voice Assistant Devices (VAD) and wearables. MediaTek empowers and inspires people to expand their horizons and achieve their goals through smart technology, more easily and efficiently than ever before. We work with the brands you love to make great technology accessible to everyone, and it drives everything we do. Visit www.mediatek.com for more information.
References:
MediaTek to expand chipset portfolio to include WiFi7, smart homes, STBs, telematics and IoT
Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 combining WiFi 7 and Bluetooth in single chip
Intel and Broadcom complete first Wi-Fi 7 cross-vendor demonstration with speeds over 5 Gbps
MediaTek to expand chipset portfolio to include WiFi7, smart homes, STBs, telematics and IoT
Taiwanese fabless chipmaker MediaTek is gearing up to expand its customer base beyond the increasingly saturated smartphone segment to include connected devices for smart homes, electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and the smart retail field.
Chunyan See, Thailand country manager for MediaTek, said the company is offering chipsets beyond the smartphone segment to WiFi 7-linked products, set-top boxes (with video streaming so popular aren’t STBs a thing of the past?), telematics, and Internet of Things. Some market leaders and mobile operators plan to launch WiFi 7 products in the first quarter of 2023. Mediatek previously announced chipsets for WiFi 6 and 6E.
“We see the gaps to change from WiFi 6 to WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 becoming shorter and shorter,” said Mr See. “Service operators typically take one to 1.5 years for internal testing to get the requirements finalized.”
Demand for higher wireless connection speed in Thailand is pushing local mobile operators to aggressively invest in 5G and fixed broadband services, he said. With rising inflation and a weaker baht, the overall smartphone market in Thailand will be tough this year, with the market size expected to drop to 19.2 million units, from 20-21 million last year, he said. In the second half of this year, 5G-enabled smartphones are expected to account for 40% of the total market, versus 32% in the first half and 24% in 2021, said Mr See.
MediaTek is also working with local partners beyond the smartphone segment in three fields — smart homes, smart retail, and smart logistics. For smart homes, the company will power the next generation of smart home accessories, including smart lighting and sensors. In smart retail, the firm supports smart point-of-sale devices that can cater for face payments, which is already the norm in China. Regarding smart logistics, 5G equipment powered by the firm’s chipsets can play a key role in telematics, which is a method of monitoring vehicles and other assets by using GPS technology, and can serve EVs. Chinlin Low, technical account manager for Asia-Pacific at MediaTek, said.
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is expected see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83% for 5G subscriptions from 2021 to 2027, when they are forecast to reach 570 million.
Mobile data traffic per smartphone is expected to reach 45 gigabytes per month in 2027, up from 9.4GB in 2021, with a CAGR of 30%, driven by the rise of virtual and augmented reality services.
MediaTek has a broad range of chipsets to offer, including Dimensity 9000, 8100 and 8000 to cater for premium smartphones, he added.
Daniel Lin, MediaTek’s deputy director of corporate sales and emerging markets, said the company sees an opportunity to increase its share of the global premium smartphone segment. “MediaTek has a strong market share in smartphones costing between US$99 to $299, but the firm aims to increase its share in premium smartphones with the launch of new chipsets,” he said.
In 2021, the firm’s overall market share in the smartphone segment rose to 42%, from 32% in 2020. Its share in Android-powered handsets surpassed 50% in 2021, up from 38% in 2020.
MediaTek posted revenue of $17.6 billion in 2021, up from $10.9 billion a year earlier.
References:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2373841/mediatek-explores-a-host-of-opportunities
Nokia, China Mobile, MediaTek speed record of ~3 Gbps in 3CC carrier aggregation trial
MediaTek Announces Filogic Connectivity Family for WiFi 6/6E
Nokia and MediaTek use Carrier Aggregation to deliver 3.2 Gbps to end users
