NEW DELHI: Taiwanese chipset giant MediaTek which has been powering 2 billion devices every year, is banking on the fifth-generation (5G)-ready chipset portfolio for the next level of growth taking on arch-rival— Qualcomm. In an interaction with The PageOneAsia, Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India said that they are fully prepared for India’s 5G roadmap, and maintain strong relationships with handset brands across the mass market, premium, and flagship categories. Edited excerpts.

How are you looking at the 5G opportunity in India in terms of device shipments including IoT-based electronics?

5G is the next big disruptor in the technology space and, with the world becoming all the more connected post the pandemic, IoT and similar new-age technologies are likely to play a major role in creating a more connected ecosystem. We see great opportunities in India with regards to 5G and IoT-based chip shipments as the Indian IoT industry is primed for significant expansion, with industrial IoT and consumer IoT being at the forefront of the revolution. MediaTek believes that 5G-based IoT chipsets will be game-changers enabling a robust, high-speed, and low latency network capable of leveraging the advantages of this technology. With the 5G spectrum likely to arrive in India soon, MediaTek is looking forward to a boom in the Indian IoT market and 5G IoT chip shipments.

What is the current level of 5G maturity in India and how soon it is expected to be developed?

As a chip company, MediaTek is completely prepared for 5G to become available in India. Most of the smartphones being sold today are 5G-ready and people are eagerly waiting for the network. We believe that India is sufficiently mature when it comes to 5G but there is a need to bridge the connectivity gaps between the urban and rural areas and widen the scope of the coverage. In fact, in many parts of the city, we do not even have access to robust 4G, which needs to be resolved before India becomes fully mature with regard to 5G.

Recently, Techarc acknowledged MediaTek as a strong contender in chip shipment. Your views?

We have always maintained that MediaTek is at the forefront of almost all chip-based arenas, including chip shipment. The acknowledgment from Techarc only adds merit to our claims and it stands to reason since we are present in almost all chip categories, from 4G to 5G across mainstream, new premium, and flagship categories.

How has been the shipment growth of MediaTek-powered devices?

Our chips are embedded in the most innovative of devices and MediaTek is now powering almost 2 billion devices every year. Having unveiled our 5G modem in 2019 itself, MediaTek is the first chipset company, globally, to launch an integrated 5G SoC. Since then, we have consistently enhanced the technology and announced newer and more advanced chips under our Dimensity 5G SoC family. Our MediaTek Helio family of 4G chips is also a frontrunner in the current market.

Who are your top five handset customers in India?

We have strong associations with almost all handset brands in the country and our customers range across categories such as mass-market, mainstream, new premium, and flagship. We are proud of all our collaborations and are keen on powering as many innovative devices as possible in the days ahead. Whichever your favourite phone brand may be, it is highly possible that we are powering handsets designed by that brand.