Huawei launches first chipset for 5G base stations

China's telecoms tech giant Huawei unveiled its first chipset for 5G base stations at a launch in Beijing on Thursday.

Huawei 5G modem Balong 5000 chipset is displayed after the presentation event in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019.[Photo: AP/Andy Wong]

According to a report on cnbeta.com, Huawei claims that the core chip, called the "Tiangang", is 2.5 times more powerful than current chipsets. Huawei said that 90 percent of the base stations on the market can be upgraded to the new 5G chip without the need to change the power supply. They also claim that by using the new chip, the weight of a base station can be cut in half.

Ryan Ding, chief of Huawei's carrier business group, holds a Tiangang 5G base station chipset, speaks during a product presentation in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. [Photo: AP: Andy Wong]

The telecommunications equipment maker announced that it had shipped over 25,000 5G-capable base stations globally.

Richard Yu, the CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, holds up the 5G-capable modem Balong 5000 for journalists and guests at a press conference for the launch of Huawei's new 5G products in Beijing on Thursday, January 24, 2019. [Photo: VCG]

AFP has reported that Huawei has also launched a 5G-capable modem onto the market, called the Balong 5000.