MWC 2023 | Apple to use own 5G modems in 2024, hints Qualcomm CEO

Apple and Qualcomm have a six-year license agreement for chips as part of an agreement to dismiss all legal hassles between the two companies (Image: Apple)

Apple may ditch Qualcomm's 5G modems in 2024 in favour of its in-house hardware, American semiconductor maker’s chief executive officer Cristiano Amon has hinted.

Speaking to CNBC at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona, Amon said Qualcomm's was “making no plans for 2024," and that his assumption was the company would not provide Apple "a modem in '24, but it's their decision to make".

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Qualcomm had informed investors in 2021 that it did not expect to provide 5G modems to Apple in 2023 but the iPhone maker decided to continue the partnership for another year.

Qualcomm and Intel waged an ugly legal battle in 2019, where Intel accused the rival of forcing it out of the mobile chipset business.

Intel eventually sold its mobile chipset division to Apple in 2019 at "a multi-billion dollar loss", according to a court filing.

Rumours have been swirling since 2021 that Apple will use Intel's resources to transition into using its own hardware for 5G modems on iPhones.

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In 2021, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the company would move to in-house modems starting 2023 but Apple extended the Qualcomm partnership by a year, possibly due to technical difficulties.

Apple and Qualcomm have a six-year licence deal for chips as part of a 2019 agreement that was reached to put an end to legal tussle between the two companies. The period can also be extended by two years, so theoretically, Apple could end up using Qualcomm chips for a while.