Handset chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said that for the first time, its chipsets have been picked by Verizon Wireless for one of its 4G smartphones, which will help it gain a stronger foothold in the US market.
The move also indicates that the Hsinchu-based handset chip designer is making progress in diversifying its markets beyond China.
MediaTek said that it is exploring new business opportunities in different markets and the US is a market where MediaTek now has a limited presence.
Verizon Wireless, a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc and the largest telecom in the US, has decided to use MediaTek’s chipset, codenamed Helio P10, in a 4G handset in collaboration with LG Electronics Co, according to a statement released by MediaTek.
In the handset business, telecom operators have the right to decide on which chipsets they want in the specific models made by their handset brand partners.
The smartphone, the LG Stylo 2 V, was launched on the US market yesterday, MediaTek said.
“This launch is a significant win for MediaTek,” said Mohit Bhushan, vice president of MediaTek’s US business development unit, in the statement.
As MediaTek has been expanding into Europe, Latin America and India, “industry watchers have looked for MediaTek to make gains in the US with its Helio family chipsets,” Bhushan said.
The collaboration with Verizon Wireless indicated that MediaTek has arrived as a key player in the US smartphone market, he said.
Last month, Sprint Corp, the fourth-biggest telecom in the US, also adopted MediaTek’s Helio P10 chipset for a smartphone made by LG.
T-Mobile US Inc began shipping phones equipped with MediaTek chipsets late last year.
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