MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the nation’s biggest handset chip designer, said yesterday it had made its first shipment of global positioning system (GPS) chips to Garmin Inc, the world’s biggest maker of portable navigation devices (PND).
Garmin is using MediaTek’s GPS chips in a wide range of outdoor navigators in the GPSMAP 60 series, the Hsinchu-based chipmaker said in a company statement.
Retaining its top position, Garmin extended its share to 37 percent of the global PND market, researcher Canalys said in a report in March.
GPS chips are expected to account for a small share of MediaTek’s revenues in the initial stage, as the chipmaker generated more than 50 percent of its revenue from mobile phone chips, primarily to Chinese handest makers LenovoMobile (聯想移動), Beijing Tianyu Communication Equipment Co Ltd (天宇朗通) and Longcheer Holdings Ltd (龍旗).
The new GPS chips can also be used in price-conscious and space-constrained mobile devices, outdoor fitness devices and cellphones, MediaTek said.
“By enabling the best navigation performance in the most economical way, the MediaTek MT3329 allows manufacturers to add GPS functionality to components and circuit boards at minimal cost,” Tsai Shou-ren (蔡守仁), general manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Connectivity Business Unit, said in the statement.
The chipmaker told investors that revenues could grow by between 6 percent and 15 percent in the current quarter from NT$23.91 billion (US$737 million) in the first quarter.
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