MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 unveiled as a 5G RedCap solution

The MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 seek to push 5G ecosystem expansion

MediaTek M60

The MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 chips were unveiled today as a 5G RedCap solution for a range of applications that still depend on 4G LTE. MediaTek states its aim in developing these new chips is to democratize 5G technology and expand the 5G ecosystem by enabling OEMs to develop a range of 5G-enabled devices and applications at various price points.

Unlike readily available 5G chips from MediaTek and other chip-makers, the MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 are categorized as RedCap chips because they focus more on power and cost efficiency.

If you are wondering what RedCap means, it’s short for “Reduced Capability.” As the name suggests, these chips target 5G applications with lower 5G bandwidth requirements than regular 5G devices. 5G RedCap technology is designed for devices such as wearable smartwatches, wearable medical devices, low-end AR/VR devices, video surveillance, smart grids, industrial sensors, and IoT devices.

The just-unveiled MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 are expected to deliver faster data transfer rates than existing 4G LTE technology for applications like video surveillance and smart grid monitoring, lower latency than existing 4G LTE technology for applications like industrial automation and asset tracking, and improved power efficiency for applications like wearables and smart sensors.

That’s not to say each of these outlined benefits will be restricted to a particular use case – all 5G RedCap devices will enjoy these benefits. However, some applications will benefit more from specific features than others will.

MediaTek highlighted its technological achievement with the MediaTek T300, emphasizing that it is the world’s “first 6nm Radio Frequency System-On-Chip (RFSOC) single die solution for RedCap.”

Additionally, MediaTek disclosed that the compact design of the MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 chips will enable manufacturers to create innovative designs for 5G RedCap applications, while simultaneously offering their customers up to 227 Mbps downlink and 122 Mbps uplink data rates.

According to MediaTek’s data, the MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 chips will also provide increased coverage, with up to 70% improvement in power efficiency compared to regular 5G solutions, and up to 60% improvement in power efficiency compared to existing 4G LTE solutions.

We also anticipate that the reduction in components and the overall size of the MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 chips will lead to reduced costs for 5G RedCap devices.

MediaTek M60 and MediaTek T300 Availability

MediaTek states that we can expect early prototypes of MediaTek T300 series devices in the first half of 2024 and finalized prototypes in the second half of 2024. While MediaTek didn’t disclose any release date for MediaTek M60 devices, we anticipate seeing prototypes sometime in 2024.