Next: Homegrown semiconductors of the 5G tech variety

Spreadtrum RDA, the mobile-design subsidiary of China’s largest chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd, aims to unveil 5G smartphone chips in 2018.

The move is part of its plan to gain an early lead in the next-generation mobile communication technology, and follows the agreement with Britain’s Dialog Semiconductor Plc in March to develop smartphone chips and mobile power management technology.

Dialog’s chips already power Apple Inc’s iPhones and iPads.

Kang Yi, global advance technologies & projects vice president at Spreadtrum, said the company has started research and development of 5G chips and is playing an active part in China’s 5G trials.

“We teamed up with Huawei in the first phase of trials to verify key 5G technologies last year. Now we are a part of China’s second phase of experiments, which will test billion

investment to be made by Unigroup to set up China’s largest chip facility in Nanjing, Jiangsu province

key technological solutions,” Kang said.

According to him, the company plans to launch standards-based mobile 5G chips as soon as a global 5G standard is rolled out.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, or 3GPP, is an industry coalition dedicated to promoting global wireless communication standards. It decided to accelerate some elements in the 5G New Radio, or NR, specification. NR is essential to accelerate the commercial applications of the technology.

According to the expedited schedule, 5G NR specifications are to be completed in December, which is expected