June 5, 2011 – MediaTek, a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, has identified new feature demands from across the region’s mobile phone users. According to a recent survey conducted by MediaTek with more than a hundred stores across the MEA region, there is a huge demand for handsets supporting up to four SIM cards. This demand stems from high roaming costs, and increase in mobile operators and subscriber promotions in the region.

MediaTek utilised its expertise in chipset designing and hardware innovation to be the world’s first handset solution provider to enable a multi-SIM feature for local handset vendors in the region and across the world.

“Competition in the local handset market is intense, and for local brands a multi-SIM feature proves to be a key differentiator for their products, especially in the switch from 2G to 3G,” said Arthur Wang, Head of Emerging Market Business Development, MediaTek Inc. “From an end-use perspective, this not only leads to cost savings, but also better call reception and signal. Users no longer need to switch handsets in order to swap their SIM cards.”

According to MediaTek, the Middle East and North Africa has more than 227 mobile phone operators, and more than half of the total numbers of subscribers are on pre-paid plans. “As operators face stiff competition, attractive subscriber plans is what is most likely to appeal to pre-paid users. This is a key factor for consumers who want to have multiple SIM cards to avail of different promotions and plans from different operators. Leading mobile phone manufactures will incorporate these chips to power their latest phones and address the needs of a key market segment. By integrating these features in its mobile chips, MediaTek is able to reduce the manufacturing time and costs for local partners, and cater to the price sensitivities of each customer,” added Wang.

The survey also revealed a demand for more Islamic features to be incorporated in handsets. In keeping with this demand, MediaTek has developed a series of software specifically for the region’s Islamic community. Through customized features such as the Hijri Calendar, Zakat Calculator, and the Qibla E- Compass, MediaTek aims to add value to handsets and make it more cost efficient. The company is well known for revolutionizing the phone manufacturing industry with its fabless semiconductors, wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions. It has successfully lowered the entry barrier to the mobile phone manufacturing industry, having reduced phone-manufacturing time from nine months to three months. With its innovative chipset and customised solutions MediaTek has established itself as a complete handset solutions vendor. The company is currently undergoing tremendous expansion and growth in the emerging markets. MediaTek recently opened its Dubai office in March 2011 to further strengthen one of the world’s fastest growing mobile markets, by better servicing and supporting local brands in the MEA region. “We are investing in R&D in the region to help us design mobile chip features that appeal to end users and make manufacturing easier and more cost-effective for our local partners,” added Wang.

About MediaTek

Since 1997, MediaTek has been a pioneering fabless semiconductor company and a market leader in cutting-edge systems-on-chip (SoC) for mobile devices, wireless networking, HDTV, DVD and Blu-ray. Our tightly-integrated, innovative chip designs help manufacturers optimize supply chains, reduce the development time of new products, and extend a competitive edge in crowded markets. Through MediaTek Labs, the company is also building a developer hub that will support device creation, application development, and services for the Internet of Things era. By building technologies that help connect individuals to the world around them, MediaTek is enabling people to expand their horizons and more easily achieve their goals. We believe anyone can achieve something amazing. And we believe they can do it every single day. We call this idea Everyday Genius and it drives everything we do. Visit mediatek.com for more information.