Jakarta, 11 October 2012 – MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, Telkomsel, the largest operator in Indonesia, and IMO jointly announced that they will be extending their strategic partnership to bring a multimedia-rich, dual core platform developed specifically for sub-$200 smartphones to users across Indonesia. With a deep understanding of the Southeast Asian markets, MediaTek’s expertise in highly integrated and multimedia rich handset solutions enables Indonesia’s mobile phone users to enjoy enhanced user experiences in affordable smartphones. Also, local handset brands will benefit from reduced time-to-market and lower development costs.

“The MediaTek series of smartphone solutions open up an opportunity for telecommunication operators, like us, to bring inexpensive, powerful phones to Southeast Asian markets and reduce barriers to entry,” said Adhi Putranto, Head of Core Product Marketing Division, Telkomsel. “As smartphones continue to grow in the Indonesian mobile phone market, the new MediaTek chipset is well suited to help us better address local demand by empowering affordable phones with advanced turnkey solutions.”

The MediaTek MT6577 platform integrates a dual-core application processor architecture which is widely deployed in the majority of today’s premium smartphones. The MT6577 is currently being incorporated into smartphone devices by MediaTek’s leading global customers, such as the IMO’s S88 Discovery Smartphone and the ORION tablet. The first smartphone models based on this new chipset are commercially available in Indonesia, with more than 10 models offered in the next few months.

“IMO is pleased to be working with MediaTek in Indonesia, and look forward to the significant impact on smartphone affordability and availability that this partnership will have on the local market,” said Sarwo Wiguno Wargano, President Director, IMO.

Driven by a strong push from emerging markets for more cost effective products, smartphones are expected to rise to account for the majority of global mobile phone shipments in 2013 . Market research company, GFK Asia, recently reported that Southeast Asia’s mobile phone sector grew exponentially over the last year with a total of 118 million mobile units sold during that period, with sales growth in Indonesia of 56 percent.

The MediaTek MT6577 features a dual-core 1GHz Cortex™-A9 application processor from ARM, MediaTek’s proven 3G/HSPA modem, and runs the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. It can support rich multimedia experiences with an 8MP camera, up-to 1080p Full-HD video playback and high-resolution displays up to 720p (1280x720) resolution. For those interested in gaming, the MT6577 has enabled partners, such as Gameloft, to make their offerings available and optimized on this platform, thereby ensuring a better experience.

"Consumers across Indonesia will now benefit from the affordable, high-performance devices enabled by the MT6577. MediaTek smartphone solutions have already been extremely well-received by customers and consumers worldwide," said Dr. Finbarr Moynihan, General Manager of Business Development, MediaTek. "The MT6577 adds the next level of performance and enhanced user experience to the MediaTek smartphone family, previously only available on high-end devices. MediaTek is proud to be in the vanguard of companies enabling the democratization of smartphones."

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.