MediaTek to Showcase Satellite Connectivity Feature on Android at MWC 2023

MediaTek has announced that it will be showcasing a host of demos on innovations and developments undertaken by the chipset manufacturer at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 scheduled to commence in Barcelona, Spain on February 27, 2023. The demonstrations will include MediaTek’s take on enabling satellite connectivity on Android smartphones, through support for 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) in its chips. The company has also announced that it plans to launch support for 5G New Radio NTN (NR-NTN) in the near future. The development comes after rival companies have also made similar plans public, with Qualcomm announcing Snapdragon Satellite, while Samsung has also debuted its take on the technology for its’ Exynos chipsets.

Satellite communication technology, or support for 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) in chipsets, will allow for two-way communication via satellite directly from an Android smartphone. This could prove to be handy in cases of emergency or at places where traditional networks tend to suffer with low or zero-connectivity. MediaTek intends to debut the technology on smartphones, however, the company also made its intention to expand this technology on to other platforms like cars in the near future.

MediaTek also went on to confirm that Bullit will be the first brand to feature the company’s satellite connectivity hardware. Bullit will debut the technology on its CAT S75 smartphone as well as the Motorola Defy 2 smartphone, MediaTek mentioned in a press release. CAT S75 model smartphone is currently available for pre-order, while Motorola Defy 2 smartphone is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2023.

MediaTek also confirmed that it will be providing satellite connectivity through an accessory called Motorola Defy Satellite Link. The accessory will essentially utilise Bluetooth to allow users on smartphones to connect to satellites using the Bullitt Satellite Connect Platform. Once connected, users will be able to send and receive messages, share location, and send emergency SOS relays.

The chip manufacturer in cooperation with Ericsson will also be demonstrating its 5G mmWave beam technology that will allow for improved connection performance and reliability. MediaTek’s demonstrations at the MWC 2023 are also set to be headlined by its Dimensity 9200 chipset, which will be showcased on the Vivo X90, and Vivo X90 Pro. Some of the features of the latest flagship chipset include real-time refresh rate adjustment through Intelligent Display Sync 3.0, picture quality optimisation with multi-person segmentation, and multi-layer color management through Intelligent Image Semantic Segmentation.

Other announcements at the MWC 2023 from MediaTek include its’ 7000 Dimensity Series, Helio G36 smartphone series, Genio platform for Internet of Things (IoT), Chromebook and Smart TV, and Wi-Fi 7/6E/6 Filogic solutions.