MediaTek unveils its first 5G modem with mmWave support

MediaTek presents the Helio M80, a 5G modem with support for both low and high frequencies. The chip will be made available to manufacturers later this year. MediaTek already has socs with 5G modems, but they did not support mmWave frequencies.

MediaTek presents the Helio M80 as a separate 5G modem, but also talks about an integrated modem in an infographic. The predecessor, the Helio M70, was initially introduced as a separate chip and was later integrated by MediaTek in socs such as the Dimensity 1200. This may also happen with the Helio M80, but the manufacturer has not yet provided any clarity.

The Helio M80 supports 5G on frequencies below 6GHz and on high mmWave frequencies. The maximum download speed is 7.67Gbit/s and the maximum upload speed is 3.76Gbit/s. There is support for non-standalone and standalone networks and two 5G SIMs.

With its new 5G modem, MediaTek competes with the fastest modems from Qualcomm and Samsung. Those two chipmakers have integrated 5G modems with support for high and low frequencies into their latest socs: the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100.

According to MediaTek, samples of the M80 modem will be available to customers later this year. It is not yet known when products will actually be released with the new modem. Earlier this month, MediaTek announced new 5G socs without mmWave support. MediaTek was the market leader in smartphone OCS for the first time last year. The chips from the manufacturer are mainly in budget and midrange smartphones.