The Taiwanese Chipmaker MediaTek make a considerable profit in 2018-19, they were selling to the major smartphone manufacturers and powered some of the best smartphones like Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 Pro, Oppo Reno 2Z, Realme C2, Realme 3, LG W30 etc. Anuj Sidharth, Deputy Director, Marketing and Communication, MediaTek India, speaks to Mobility India about India’s roadmap.
As digital adoption continues to grow phenomenally, how is India set to experience 5G and mobile led technologies?
It is true, that globally digital is changing the way people live their lives. Across the markets, service providers are gearing up to meet the demand, in terms of speed, quality, safety, speed and security of being on a digital platform while disrupting sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, and education. Consumers are keenly awaiting the revolutionary innovations and ultra-fast mobile speeds that are associated with 5G. The Indian government, along with key industry stakeholders, is working towards providing access to the same. Meanwhile companies such as MediaTek are keen on making 5G accessible to the end users so that they can draw full benefit of this innovation. But I must admit that we are yet to clearly understand how deeply the industry will alter with the advent of 5G technology. However, till the technology is accessible, no one can certainly say how the landscape will evolve. India is on the cusp of a major revolution. India is on track of becoming a five trillion-dollar economy and the evolving digital metrics are creating inroads for newer technologies and solutions.
India’s 5G readiness and its benefits amongst the industry players and end-users at large?
India is preparing for its 5G roll-out with trials and spectrum auctions being planned. In a report released recently, Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson said that by 2025, 5G connections will account for about 11 per cent of total subscription in India. But it would require major investments and collaboration between the public and private sectors to stay abreast of the advancement in 5G-enabled devices. 5G not only enhances the evolutionary growth in bandwidth but also makes better use of wireless spectrum, resulting in improved connection and better reliability. Industries and end users will experience spectral efficiency with improved use of spectrum. The industry players stand to benefit in terms of data speed, latency, efficiency, reliability, capacity and security as the technology is designed to be fast and dependable at a lower cost, with more flexibility. 5G will improve the delivery of mobile broadband services and enable incredible mobile broadband data-rates for instantaneous video and VR. Digital capabilities based on AI, autonomous operations, virtual reality and drones are among the solutions that will employ 5G networks to deliver big gains in productivity and accelerate innovation.
Tell us more about your key event “Technology Diaries”
Our ‘Technology Diaries’ initiative was conceptualised to build recall and share of voice for MediaTek and its technologies from a consumer’s perspective. It started with the first season in Delhi followed by Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Our interactive sessions are an effort at demystifying technology for the common man and are aimed at increasing visibility on how innovative technologies are assisting us, empowering people, brands, communities and making our lives more efficient and well connected. We also talk about cutting edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Rich IoT, 5G, machine Learning etc. that MediaTek is working on. We also have informal and interactive, fun-filled discussions on various aspects of Technology. the event enables conversations with audience from different walks of life about their everyday experiences with technology that has transformed or facilitated changes as also the trends they foresee in the future.
Do you feel in coming years gaming phones will be a good segment for brands to invest?
Gaming is a major industry globally, with several companies offering technologically advanced phones for gamers. We have been working on providing seamless experiences to our gaming enthusiast consumers through dedicated gaming chipsets that ensure the best possible results. The segment is expected to see strong competition given the popularity of phone gaming and the sheer variety of the games on offer. People look at the avenue as a passion and a recreational activity and this is set to rise. We feel, in the years ahead, gaming phones will be a lucrative segment for brands to invest in.
According to a Frost & Sullivan estimate with the increase in the sales of mobile handsets by 2021 India’s gaming market is expected to earn revenues worth nearly $340 million. We have launched our gaming series SoCs MediaTek Helio G90 and MediaTek Helio G90T. MediaTek Helio G90T is powering recently launched Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8Pro. MediaTek Helio G90T delivers high performance, unrivalled image quality, uninterrupted connectivity, and smooth responsive action even in the most demanding games. Be it any game the player gets to experience super-fast and responsive display and reduced lag for smoother gameplay.
Last 2 years we have seen MediaTek really going aggressive in not only smartphone segment but also in IOT platforms, what to expect in 2020?
With the rapid change in technology and the advent of innovations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT, Machine Learning, Image understanding and Cloud Computing, we see major scope for development and reinvention in 2020. While 2019 saw increasing demand in AI based voice assistant devices across home, mobile and automotive segments, the trend is expected to continue in the year ahead. We expect Mobile phones and linked applications, Voice Assisted Devices, Smart appliances and automated driving to undergo further advances. We plan to continue growing our brand in India by focusing on strengthening our R&D capabilities and key technological parameters including AI and 5G, featuring around our key focus areas – mobile, home and auto. In 2020 our focus would be on AI and IoT platforms and 5G solutions. Dimensity 1000 5G SoC is world’s first dual 5G sim and first five-core image signal processor (ISP) combined with MediaTek’s Imagiq+ technology, supports powerful APU camera, stunning graphics and video.
Shed some light on MediaTek Helio M70.
MediaTek aims to make 5G accessible to everyone, across mobiles, homes, automotive, IoT and other domains. This includes integration into the SoC, such as the Dimensity chipset which represents a step toward a new era of next-gen mobility – the 5th dimension. The chip powering the MediaTek Helio M70 offers an optimum combination of connectivity, multimedia, AI and imaging innovations for premium and flagship smartphones and is a result of MediaTek’s investment in 5G and positions us as a leader in 5G development and innovation. Dimensity 1000 is the first MediaTek Integrated 5G Chipset and 5G mobile SoC in its 5G family of chipsets. Our advanced offering, the MediaTek Helio M70 5G is the only 5G modem with LTE and 5G dual connectivity plus multi‑mode support for every wireless network from 2G to 5G.
With the ongoing trend of gadgets and devices becoming less technical and more intuitive, we are looking at intelligent and user-friendly voice assistants that move beyond conversational User Interface to transform into a more interactive persona, simulating a friend or an assistant. We are maintaining our focus on 5G and AI-enabled chips as they allow smart devices to function optimally. We see tremendous growth possibility in rich IoT and machine learning as we prepare to step into 2020. There are some pain points such as multiple languages and accents in India, literacy and the speed of technology adoption but these are offset by the huge potential that we see in this domain.