Taiwanese chipset maker MediaTek on Wednesday said it is geared up to cash in on the 5G wave in India with its portfolio of solutions as and when the high-speed communications services are rolled out in the country.
The company has also collaborated with VVDN Technologies, under which smart devices powered by MediaTek will be rolled out in India in the fourth quarter of 2020.
MediaTek and VVDN will be working closely to design, develop, and manufacture innovative and new-age Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) solutions, including camera solutions, home automation solutions, and voice assistant devices/smart speakers.
MediaTek India Director Corporate Sales Kuldeep Malik said 5G is a major topic of discussion across various platforms globally.
While the spectrum is yet to be auctioned in India, the devices ecosystem has started "warming up" and a number of handset vendors have launched 5G-enabled devices with more such launches expected during the upcoming festive season, he added.
"...Once the auction happens, we will see another six months of testing and then by 2021, we should be able to see activity happening in some circles, that's our expectation....5G network availability will take some more time, at least a year or so, by Diwali next year we should be able to see some more ground level activities taking shape," Malik said in an online briefing.
Referring to a line-up of 5G solutions that MediaTek has already announced, Malik said the company is "really geared up and we have been able to catch the wave early".
"We have been pretty much ready and once India starts picking up, we should be there... and start matching the OEM and operator expectations. So far, MediaTek in 5G is at a fairly good level, and we should be able to achieve our objectives once 5G starts ramping up and taking up serious shape in India market," he added.
MediaTek's 5G chips include MediaTek Dimensity series - 1000+, 820, 800, 800U and 720 chips that offer 5G connectivity to smartphone users across demographics.
The company has also collaborated with Intel to bring 5G experience to next-generation PCs with the development and certification of its 5G modem data card.
MediaTek powers over 1.5 billion devices a year, including smartphones, automobile, surveillance cameras, voice-assisted devices, audio systems, tablets and smart TVs.
While smartphones and tablets contribute about 43-48 per cent of its global annual revenue, 28-33 per cent revenue comes from AIoT , power management, and connectivity solutions like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The remaining 20-25 per cent is led by smart-home and other categories which include digital TVs, DVD players, optical storage, feature phones, etc.
MediaTek has two R&D centres in India in Noida and Bengaluru, and an office in Mumbai. It has over 600 people in its India operations.
Talking about the partnership with VVDN, MediaTek India Managing Director Anku Jain said India is a key growth market for the company, both in terms of business value proposition and talent pool.
"We are keen to enable the 'Make in India' narrative by collaborating with indigenous device makers like VVDN Technologies to create smart solutions in India, targeted at both Indian and global consumers," he added.
VVDN Technologies President Engineering and co-founder Vivek Bansal said the collaboration with MediaTek will enable the partners to work together on innovative and cost-effective smart devices at VVDN's Global Innovation Park (GIP) manufacturing hub in Manesar that houses R&D, design, engineering and electronic manufacturing facility.
MediaTek has also launched a new microsite for Indian non-mobile products (smart devices other than smartphones). It will offer detailed information on a variety of products powered by MediaTek chips, including smart home solutions (AIoT, set-top boxes, smart TVs, Voice Assistant Devices), retail broadband, education tablets, POS terminals, biometric devices, and automotive solutions.
