MediaTek Provides First and Only Smartphone Platform in the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint(TM) Program Test Bed

HSINCHU, Taiwan, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, today announced that its dual-SIM Android smartphone platform has been included in the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ test bed as the first and only mobile benchmark platform used for seamless Wi-Fi network access and secure connectivity for mobile devices on the go. MediaTek's role in developing the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ program includes early involvement in proposing fundamental elements of the underlying Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Specification, driving interoperability testing based on its dual-SIM Android smartphone platform, and contributing proposals that make the certification ideal for mobile devices to automatically discover and connect to Wi-Fi networks, delivering the true mobile broadband experience that users want.  

"We congratulate MediaTek on achieving selection to the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ test bed," said Wi-Fi Alliance CEO Edgar Figueroa. "MediaTek's participation in the development of this program has been instrumental in the achievement of an industry-wide certification for this program."

"The user experience generated by Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ equipment will delight subscribers and operators alike," said SR Tsai, General Manager of MediaTek's Wireless Connectivity & Networking Business Unit. "We are pleased to have been a part of the development of this program. MediaTek's industry leadership in performance, integration, efficiency and reliability can now bring the powerful new capabilities of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ to the widest possible range of smartphone devices."

Based on technologies defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Specification, the new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ program is the first industry standard to cultivate multi-service provider Wi-Fi roaming capabilities.  Not only will mobile operators have a new solution for offloading bandwidth-constrained cellular networks, but mobile device users will also be able to enjoy easier and better connections to Wi-Fi hotspots.

MediaTek offers a broad portfolio of high-performance wireless communication solutions for the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, personal computers and AP/routers. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint™ MediaTek solution included in the test bed is:

• MediaTek Hotspot 2.0 Client V1 (based on a MediaTek MT6575 dual-SIM platform for mid- and entry-level Android smartphones that incorporates a MediaTek MT6620 4-in-1 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/GPS/FM combo chip)

The MediaTek MT6575 is a platform for mid- and entry-level Android smartphones. It offers a 1GHz ARM® Cortex™-A9 processer, a proven 3G/HSPA modem and runs the latest "Ice-Cream Sandwich" Android 4.0 release. The MT6575 platform supports 720p high-definition video playback and recording with an 8MP camera and qHD (960x540) high-resolution displays via a PowerVR™ Series5 SGX GPU (graphics processing unit) from Imagination Technologies for DTV-grade picture quality on a smartphone. It also boasts the world's lowest power consumption and most comprehensive integration of hot swap dual-SIM capability compatible with the Android platform.

The MediaTek MT6620 is a combo chip with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and FM functionalities integrated inside, providing superior wireless connectivity and performance to mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, portable media players (PMPs), portable game consoles, and personal navigation devices (PNDs). It supports all the leading industry standards: 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, as well as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct™ and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Passpoint™, Bluetooth 4.0+HS and is fully compatible with GPS/Galileo/SBAS/QZSS satellite navigation systems.

Both the MT6575 and MT6620 have entered mass production and are shipping in commercially launched devices.

About MediaTek  Inc.

MediaTek Inc. is a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions. The company is a market leader and pioneer in cutting-edge SOC system solutions for wireless communications, high-definition TV, optical storage, and DVD and Blu-ray products. Founded in 1997 and listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange under the code "2454", MediaTek is headquartered in Taiwan and has sales or research subsidiaries in Mainland China, Singapore, India, U.S., Japan, Korea, Denmark, England, Sweden and Dubai. For more information, please visit MediaTek's website at www.mediatek.com.

SOURCE MediaTek Inc.