MediaTek has launched M80 5G modem, which is the company’s first mmWave-capable modem. MediaTek M80 combines mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G technologies onto a single chip. The M80 is said to support a peak rate of 7.67 Gbps in the downlink and 3.76 Gbps in the uplink respectively. More connectivity features include dual 5G SIM, dual 5G NSA and SA networks, and dual Voice over New Radio (VoNR).
MediaTek M80 is the successor to Helio M70 that was launched in last year’s Dimensity 1000 series processors. MediaTek M70 is the company’s 5G modem, and it supports the sub-6GHz technology but lacks the mmWave 5G standard. Meanwhile, MediaTek M80 5G modem supports both the sub-6 GHz and mmWave dual connectivity as well as dual carrier aggregation.
“As 5G rollouts accelerate, mmWave is becoming increasingly important, especially in the U.S. 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 Vice President and General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business Unit in a press release. “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 M80 also packs the company’s 5G UltraSave technologies, said to improve on the single-chip design for extensive power-saving enhancements. The company says its UltraSave Network Environment Detection and UltraSave OTA Content Awareness technologies dynamically adjust power configuration and operating frequency based on the network environment.
The modem also comes with MediaTek’s Dynamic Bandwidth Part (BWP). The Connected Mode DRX (C-DRX) technology allows the M80 to regularly remain powered in connected standby even when there is no data activity.
MediaTek M80 will be made available to sample with customers in 2021. It is likely that smartphones with M80 5G modem could launch by the end of this year or early 2022.
