Samsung commenced mass production of 5G chips, which power the smartphone giant’s first compatible handset, the Galaxy S10 5G.

The multimode chipsets rolling off the production line include the previously-introduced Exynos Modem 5100 modem; a new single-chip radio frequency transceiver, the Exynos RF 5500; and the Exynos SM 5800 supply modulator.

In a statement, Samsung said the Exynos Modem 5100 supports networks running on sub-6GHz and mmWave frequencies, as well as 2G, 3G and 4G bands in a single chip. The transceiver and modulator both support legacy and sub-6GHz networks.

The Exynos Modem 5100 was announced in August 2018 as the world’s first 5G modem to be compatible with the 3GPP’s 5G New Radio (NR) standard.

Inyup Kang, president of Samsung’s System LSI Business, said: “Samsung has been an innovator in mobile communication technologies with a strong portfolio of market-proven solutions, and we are well-prepared to extend our leadership into 5G.”

Samsung said it is working to expand the capability of the transceiver, which supports 4×4 MIMO and higher-order 256QAM, to run on mmWave spectrum.

The Galaxy S10 5G goes on sale in South Korea tomorrow (5 April), the same day the country’s three mobile operators are scheduled to switch on 5G services for consumers.