Apple Sets Aggressive Timeline of 2022 for Its Own 5G Modem [Report]

Apple has set an aggressive timeline of 2022 for the launch of its own 5G modem for iPhone, reports Fast Company. Given the amount of development, testing, and certification that needs to be done, the company will have to push hard to meet this goal.

Intel had been supplying modems to Apple during the company's fallout with Qualcomm; however, they were not able to deliver a viable 5G modem on time and Apple was forced to return to Qualcomm, signing a deal for the next few years. Intel then shut down its mobile modem business and ultimately sold the division to Apple for an estimated $1 billion.

Apple management is counting on its modem group in San Diego to finish the 5G modem as soon as possible.


It won’t be easy. In fact, bringing a new modem to the finish line in two years is really pushing it, my source said. After all the design work is done, and the fabrication of the chips themselves is underway, an arduous testing and certification process still awaits. Apple will have to put the modem through network optimization testing to make sure it plays nice with the carriers’ wireless networks. The modem must be tested to ensure compliance with global standards, and undergo another battery of tests to satisfy FCC requirements.

Sources tell Fast Company that Apple may be not realize how long it takes to complete these tests, suggesting 2023 may be a more realistic completion date.

If Apple can integrate its modem into a 'system on a chip' design, it would provide improvements in speed and power efficiency. It's believed that 'rock star RF engineer' Esin Terzioglu, former VP of Engineering at Qualcomm, is leading the charge.

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