Reports claim that Apple is working closely with Intel to design a future iPhone that has support for wireless 5G. Apple engineers have reportedly been “engaged” with Intel in talks about work on 5G while work with Qualcomm has been “limited.”
Apparently, an anonymous “source with knowledge” has explained that Apple is “leaning heavily” toward Intel’s 5G technology to be used in future iPhones and this news comes not long after Intel had announced that they has “successfully completed a full end-to-end development 5G call based on its early 5G silicon, a key milestone in its development.”
Despite the fact that many people have leaned toward Qualcomm as being a leader in 5G technology, the report claims that this technology will “not be widely adopted by carriers” and that Intel’s 5G modem is more likely to fit future iPhone models.
This provides Intel with a huge opportunity for a modem division that is otherwise lagging far behind the likes of Qualcomm. It has been suggested that the company has a team of “multiple thousands” working on 5G and that providing modems to Apple is a “must-win” for the company:
Intel has lagged far behind Qualcomm in the modem market, but has a small army working on 5G, numbering in the “multiple thousands,” the source estimates. The initiative to provide the 5G modem for the iPhone is now considered a “must-win” for Intel.
An iPhone that has 5G support would be capable of gigabit speeds but that kind of technology is still far from achievable as it will require a host of technical upgrades from carriers and smartphone manufacturers.
