M80: MediaTek's first 5G modem supporting mmWave technology

MediaTek announced the M80, its first 5G modem compatible with mmWave technology, which is the fastest connection today. This is the first time that the Taiwanese manufacturer has launched a chip that supports this technology.

The new modem is expected to hit the market in the coming months and could be used on smartphones, computers, hotspots, and IoT devices.

M80, MediaTek's first 5G modem with mmWave support, has arrived

MediaTek announced yesterday, February 2nd, its new M80 equipment. This is the first 5G modem already compatible with the currently fastest connection, mmWave. The M80 modem will then stand up to rival Qualcomm, especially among the strongest manufacturers in the United States.

The brand has already launched chips with 5G modem, such as the recent Dimensity 110 0 and Dimensity 1200, however, both use sub-6GHz technology which is more popular, more stable, but less fast than mmWave. In turn, the M80 is a modem that can be included separately in smartphones and is compatible with both sub-6GHz and mmWave, all on a single chip.

The M80 modem can reach a maximum speed of 7.67 Gbps in download and up to 3.76 Gbps in the upload. Supports ultra-fast speeds on NSA and SA architectures. And it supports Dual 5G SIM, Dual 5G NSA and SA, DSS, and dual VoNR connectivity, for more reliable connectivity.

The M80 can be used on smartphones, computers, hotspots, and even on IoT devices. The first products already with the chip of this modem should reach the market in the next months of 2021.

MmWave technology is only used for some locations in the United States today. However, sub-6GHz is still considered a more stable connection, despite not achieving speeds as high as mmWave.

According to the Android Police website, one of the advantages of mmWave is its use in places with many connected devices, such as stadiums or large auditoriums, where a band with low frequency can generate data congestion and, therefore, the loss of connection speed.

Source: MediaTek