Before the start of this year’s online Computex event, Intel announced the launch of the first 5G product in cooperation with MediaTek. Intel 5G Solution 5000 is an M.2 5G system suitable for notebooks. It makes it easier for OEMs to participate in 5G design through the use of standardized interfaces.
Intel 5G Solution 5000 currently only supports sub-6GHz 5G and does not support mmWave. It can connect 4G LTE and 3G WCDMA. This product has been certified by operators in most major regions of the world, so notebook computers using this solution can be sold in most markets. It is also supported by Windows, Chrome OS and Linux.
Based on the T700 communication module last summer, MediaTek launched the first sample of the Intel 5G solution. The two companies are also working with Fibocom, which helps with carrier certification and regulatory support. Fibocom is also responsible for the manufacturing, sales and distribution of 5G M.2 modules.
Of course, although using the M.2 format reduces some of the complexity of implementing 5G in a laptop, it is not as simple as plugging this solution into the M.2 slot of any laptop. These devices still require an antenna for cellular reception.
Although Intel and MediaTek had already cooperated in this regard as early as 2019, they were eventually swiftly picked up by Qualcomm. Qualcomm announced its own 5G M.2 reference design about a week ago, based on the Snapdragon X62 and X65 modems.
The first batch of designs using Intel 5G Solution 5000 will be launched this year, and manufacturers such as Acer, Asus and Hewlett-Packard will take the lead in their designs. Next year, we should see more than 30 designs that include this solution.
