Apple's in-house modem project won't be ready until late 2025

Development of an in-house modem at Apple has hit multiple snags, with the latest delay pushing development further into 2025 or later.

Apple's modem provider is Qualcomm, and the two companies have had a rocky history with legal issues and competition. Apple reportedly was aiming for an early 2025 release for an in-house modem, but that project keeps hitting snags.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is going to miss it's spring 2025 release window. People familiar with the matter say Apple could postpone the release until late 2025 or early 2026.

Apple recently extended its contract with Qualcomm to 2026. That contract extension came as a surprise considering Qualcomm's CEO expected Apple would have its in-house modem ready in 2024.

Designing a modem is no small feat. It requires a chip that can efficiently connect to cellular networks around the world and provide competitive speeds.

Previous reports said Apple's modem development was three years behind Qualcomm's.

Apple is determined to develop its own modem because it likes having control of the entire hardware and software stack. However, unlike ditching Intel for Apple Silicon, Qualcomm is a leader in the space and will be difficult to surpass, let alone match.

The iPhone SE 4 was initially rumored to be a test bed for the in-house modem, but that project was scrapped. With these latest delays, it isn't clear if Apple will ever release a modem, but work on the project will continue even if it never sees the light of day.

11 Comments

netrox 1500 comments · 12 Years

About 1 year ago

I am sure Apple is working on many technological concepts, only waiting for the patents to expire and incorporate them into their devices or services. Patents are often what holds companies back - suppose there's a patent on algorithm that provides improved performance, using that patent in chip without licensing could invite lawsuits.

saarek 1578 comments · 16 Years

I don’t doubt that Apple will get there. Qualcomm makes genuinely good hardware and have an absolute catalogue of patents.

Apple needs to work out how to build the modem without stepping on those and that is obviously proving very hard to do.

thadec 96 comments · 2 Years

netrox said:

I am sure Apple is working on many technological concepts, only waiting for the patents to expire and incorporate them into their devices or services. Patents are often what holds companies back - suppose there's a patent on algorithm that provides improved performance, using that patent in chip without licensing could invite lawsuits.

Patents expire after 20 years. So the 3G patents would have expired around 2020. The 4G patents are probably going to expire in a few years, but Qualcomm switched from 4G to LTE anyway, and the LTE patents form the bulk of what is needed for 5G. Those don't expire until 2030, when it will be time to switch to 6G.