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Tag: modem

  • Apple Already Working On 6G Tech

    Apple Already Working On 6G Tech

    5G may just be ramping up, but Apple already has its sights set on the future and 6G.

    6G is still years away, with no specification or concrete guidelines. Nonetheless, Apple seems intent on getting started sooner rather than later. The company has long been reliant on Qualcomm for its modems, no doubt a sore point given their history of litigation.

    Apple has already taken steps to end its dependence on Qualcomm, buying Intel’s failed modem business. Early reportssuggested the company may be planning to begin using its own modems as early as 2022.

    According to job postings on Apple’s site, using its own 5G modems is just the beginning. In a posting entitled “Wireless Research Systems Engineer – 5G/6G”, Apple outlines its vision for the job:

    We are looking for expert and highly self-motivated communication systems engineers who have a deep understanding of wireless technology used in state of the art indoor and outdoor wireless networks. In this role you will be at the center of a cutting-edge research group responsible for creating next generation disruptive radio access technologies over the next decade. You will work on defining system level concepts, proposing and researching innovative ideas & algorithms, performing complex system simulations, defining rapid prototyping platforms to help prove your ideas and specifying RAN protocols and for next generation (5G/6G) cellular systems.

    Similarly, another posting, “RAN1/RAN4 Standards Engineer”, has the following line:

    You will be part of a team defining and doing research of next generation standards like 6G.

    Apple clearly wants to be at the forefront of 6G development and is wasting no time getting started.

  • Apple Working to Replace Qualcomm Internal Modems

    Apple Working to Replace Qualcomm Internal Modems

    Apple is working on the next step toward manufacturing independence, beginning work on a replacement for Qualcomm’s modems.

    Apple has had a troubled history with Qualcomm for years. Apple accused Qualcomm of charging unfair prices for its modems, and turned to Intel as an alternate source. Many critics believed Qualcomm had violated antitrust laws, prompting the Federal Trade Commission to file an antitrust case against the company.

    While Qualcomm lost the initial case, it ultimately prevailed on appeal. In the meantime, Intel was forced to exit the modem business, citing Qualcomm’s business practices as the reason. In the meantime, Apple settled its legal battle with Qualcomm and ended up buying Intel’s failed modem business.

    Last October, we covered a story that suggested Apple was using the purchased Intel modem business to develop its own line of components, with plans to begin using them as early as 2022.

    According to Bloomberg, Apple has now begun working on its own modem.

    “This year, we kicked off the development of our first internal cellular modem which will enable another key strategic transition,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, in a town hall meeting with Apple employees. “Long-term strategic investments like these are a critical part of enabling our products and making sure we have a rich pipeline of innovative technologies for our future.”

    The move follows Apple’s decision to ditch Intel in favor of its own custom silicon, based on ARM chips. Apple, more than almost any company in the tech industry, is well-known for integrating its hardware and software. Building its own modems is another critical piece of that strategy, and will likely give Apple the ability to innovate even more.

  • Intel Supports FTC in Qualcomm Antitrust Appeal

    Intel Supports FTC in Qualcomm Antitrust Appeal

    Intel filed a brief supporting the Federal Trade Commission and in opposition to Qualcomm’s appeal of a judgement finding it violated antitrust laws.

    In a blog post on the company’s site, Intel’s general counsel Steven Rodgers outlined the Intel’s position:

    “Qualcomm would have you believe that its position in the market today — as the last surviving U.S. supplier of premium modem chips — is due to its ‘ingenuity and business acumen,’ and that its rivals in the market failed simply because ‘they did not offer good enough chips at low enough prices.’ This is simply not true.

    “Instead, as detailed in the District Court’s opinion and in our brief, Qualcomm maintained its monopoly through a brazen scheme carefully crafted and implemented over many years. This scheme consists of a web of anticompetitive conduct designed to allow Qualcomm to coerce customers, tilt the competitive playing field and exclude competitors, all the while shielding itself from legal scrutiny and capturing billions in unlawful gains.”

    Mr. Rodgers then goes on to describe the amount of effort Intel put behind their efforts to break into the modem business.

    “We invested billions, hired thousands, acquired two companies and built innovative world-class products that eventually made their way into Apple’s industry-leading iPhones, including the most recently released iPhone 11. But when all was said and done, Intel could not overcome the artificial and insurmountable barriers to fair competition created by Qualcomm’s scheme and was forced to exit the market this year.”

    This is not the first time Qualcomm has been accused of antitrust behavior, having “been fined nearly $1 billion in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in settlement).”

    Qualcomm’s practices have managed to make bitter enemies of the very companies it does business with, including Apple and Intel. Apple and Qualcomm were involved in multiple legal actions over a two-year period, with Apple repeatedly making the claim that Qualcomm was abusing its position in the industry. Although the two companies arrived at a settlement, Apple ultimately purchased Intel’s modem business, with experts believing they intend to use their own modems by 2022.

    With so much evidence against Qualcomm, not to mention such powerful companies standing against it, it seems unlikely the company will be able to get the judgement reversed.