Apple Won't Use Intel 5G Modem for 2020 iPhone [Report]

Apple has reportedly notified Intel that it will not use the company's 5G modems in 2020, leading Intel to halt development of the modem and reassign the team elsewhere, reports Calcalist. The site reviewed internal company communications confirming the decision.

Apple has notified Intel it would not use a mobile modem developed by the chipmaker in its next-generation mobile device, Intel executives said in the communications. Further development of the modem component internally called “Sunny Peak” has been halted and the Intel team that's working on the product will be redirected to other efforts, the executives said.

Intel executives described Apple as the 'key mobile customer' for their 5G modem and the 'main volume driver'. They also said the company is facing 'a massive effort' to launch 5G in their products and speculated that the decision not to use Intel's modem was a result of 'many factors'.

They also noted that the introduction of WiGig(802.11ad) "into any mobile product brings new and unanticipated challenges".

It appears that Intel will now work to improve Sunny Peak to get the modem into Apple's 2022 devices.

Today's report follows an earlier one from Bloomberg which claimed that MediaTek could displace Intel by 2020.

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