Xiaomi to stop making 4G phones by 2020 end; to focus on 6G connectivity and satellite internet

The Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has announced that the firm will stop making 4G smartphones for the Chinese market by the end of this year. Xiaomi will focus its energy on the development of satellite internet and 6G technology, he revealed. However, the circulation of its 4G LTE models in the international market, as in India, will continue. In an interview conducted by Xinhua, Lei Jun, the co-owner and CEO of the tech giant revealed the future plans. The problems faced by the company due to the pandemic were also discussed in the interview. Xiaomi has been launching 5G handsets to revolutionize the way smartphones are used. Starting from game streaming, to audio conferencing to autonomous driving; the firm aims to spread its 5G devices across the worldwide market. [caption id=“attachment_8323511” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]  Xiaomi smartphones[/caption] “Due to the impact of the epidemic, the speed of 5G promotion has indeed slowed down, but our strategy has not changed, and we will continue to push 5G mobile phones,” said Lei Jun in the interview. On Tuesday, Xiaomi had launched the cheapest 5G smartphone available, Redmi 10X, in China. This works for the company’s mission of bringing 5G use in the affordable range. The Redmi 10X comes with an AMOLED display and features MediaTek Dimensity 820 below the range of $250 in China. Besides, Xiaomi has also started research on 6G and satellite internet development. The development of satellite will make internet accessible for those living in the rural sections with feeble mobile networks. The decision to draw back 4G devices in their home market is understandable, given the majority of the networks in China have switched to the new connectivity technology. This also indicates that India will see availability of Xiaomi 4G handsets for a considerable time now.