MediaTek this week introduced a new hardware platform for 3G Android smartphones that supports three SIM cards, each of which can"receive calls, transmit data, send SMS messages and remain in standby mode concurrently without consuming excessive battery life," according to the company.

The "world's first triple-SIM technology for 3G Android smartphones" is aimed at emerging markets, where the popularity of multi-SIM devices is on the rise, MediaTek said.

"MediaTek has long provided state-of-art solutions for multi-SIM mobile devices. 3G triple-SIM is yet another example of that," Brian Kwon, head of product planning for LG Electronics, said in a statement.

LG Electronics utilized MediaTek's dual-SIM platform for its Optimus L4II smartphone, currently selling in Brazil. You can see that dual-SIM technology in action in the video below.

"Thanks to its groundbreaking technology, our new smartphones will significantly expand the connectivity options of our customers, and in so doing allow them to take advantage of multiple tariff plans," Kwon said.

MediaTek is also touting the user interface baked into its triple-SIM platform as a "turnkey solution" for phone makers. Users of phones incorporating the technology can adjust or turn off multi-SIM functionality on their devices via middleware the Taiwanese semiconductor firm includes in the platform stack.

The new triple-SIM platform also provides a "high level of stability," according to MediaTek, which claimed dropped and poor-quality calls are not an issue.

"In many emerging markets, multi-SIM support has become an absolute requirement. By creating a comprehensive total solution packed with premium features and advanced technologies, MediaTek is not only catering to end-user needs, but also attracting the attention of the world's tier-one device makers," said Jeffrey Ju, general manager of MediaTek's Smartphone Business Unit. "With our long line of exciting new products in the works, we expect to bring many more affordable-premium mobile device solutions to emerging markets and others in the near future."

MediaTek, long known as a supplier of ARM-based processors and baseband solutions for feature phones, has been pushing into the value and mid-range smartphone market in recent years. While top-end smartphones typically sport chipsets designed by the likes of Qualcomm, Samsung, Apple, and Nvidia, MediaTek has enjoyed solid growth with its new line of multi-core application processors in the lower part of the market, particularly in China, India, and other emerging markets.

The fabless semiconductor firm also teamed up with Twitter last year to produce a feature phone with Twitter's mobile application pre-loaded into MediaTek's MRE middleware used in reference designs for phone manufacturers.

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