Apple Not Working on LTE Modem, Qualcomm to Remain Sole Supplier

According to a report by Fudzilla, reliable industry sources have revealed that Apple is not developing its own LTE modem, amid rumours of its next generation A8 SoC to sport an integrated LTE modem (via GforGames). The source goes on to report that Intel, Nvidia and Samsung also do not have any SoC package yet that includes the LTE, and that Qualcomm will continue to manufacture LTE modems for Apple’s next iPhone.

Qualcomm’s high-end mobile processors like the Snapdragon 800 come in an SoC package that includes the LTE 150Mbits per second capable modem. With Nvidia and Intel both said to be working on producing something similar, Apple on the other hand is believed to be focusing on making a faster 64-bit ARM-based successor to its Cyclone-based A7 chip, continuing to use Qualcomm’s external LTE chip for the ‘iPhone 6’. 

“When it comes to integrated LTE, in the high end Qualcomm will remain a sole player as Tegra K1 doesn’t have an integrated modem, Apple its approach with LTE on a dedicated chip and Samsung will use Qualcomm modems or SoCs for many markets where LTE matters.”

A recent report has also claimed that Apple’s A8 SoC will be manufactured entirely by TSMC as Samsung is facing 20 nm provisioning delays and won’t be able to meet Apple’s demands