CONCERTED EFFORT: The company has been striving to catch up with its rivals since the release of 2G chips, but its chairman said it is definitely now a leading 5G developer

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 20, 2019
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter, in Hsinchu

Mobile phone chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said that it has invested NT$100 billion

(US$3.23 billion) — part of which was spent on a team of 3,000 engineers — to grow its 5G technological capabilities and capture the market in its prime.

The company entered the mobile phone chip market in 2000, offering 2G chips.

As each new generation of wireless technology has been released since, the company has been striving to catch up with rivals such as Qualcomm Inc.

Three years ago, the company started to allocate 20 to 30 percent of its annual research and development spending to 5G technology, MediaTek chief financial officer David Ku (顧大為) said, adding that the company budgeted between NT$50 billion and NT$60 billion per year for research and development.

“We will continue expanding our 5G team over time,” Ku said.    [FULL  STORY]