A new report claims Apple has set an “aggressive” goal of including in-house 5G modems as part of a system-on-a-chip design for iPhones and iPads as early as 2022.
Fast Company reports Apple plans to have all of the development, testing, and certification finished by 2022 to allow them to include the new modems in the same year.
Apple expects to get 5G modems for its 2020 and 2021 iPhones from Qualcomm, thanks to the April settlement of the legal squabbles between the two companies.
While Apple is pushing to meet a 2022 deadline – says the report’s source, who is said to have knowledge of the plans – that same source believes that a two-year deadline for the modem is “really pushing it.” The source believes 2023 might be a more realistic target.
The main stumbling point is said to be the network optimization testing that’s necessary to make sure the modem works well and politely with the wireless carriers networks. Test are also required to ensure the modem’s compliance with global standards, and that it satisfies FCC requirements.
Apple does have an ace up its sleeve that might allow it to hit the admittedly optimistic 2022 deadline, as it agreed to acquire the majority of Intel’s smartphones modem business earlier this summer. Basing their own 5G modem development on the technology from Intel could accelerate their modem development.
