Intel and MediaTek Partner on 5G Laptops for 2021
- Dell and HP likely among first brands to roll out 5G PCs
- Intel selling its modem business to Apple, so has to license
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Taiwan’s MediaTek Inc. has announced a partnership with U.S. chipmaking giant Intel Corp. to supply future Intel-powered PCs with fifth-generation networking modems from the start of 2021.
The agreement marks a small step toward a big change in the way computing is done, as 5G promises to revolutionize both the speed and availability of cellular networks, creating dense coverage with bandwidth comparable to current Wi-Fi standards and beyond. Mobile computers stand to benefit greatly from this upgrade, and U.S. PC vendors Dell Inc. and HP Inc. have both been named by MediaTek among the likely first customers for the 5G-enabled, Intel-powered laptops that are to come.