A few hours after the announcement of the plea agreement between Apple and Qualcomm , which we have already told you in the news, Apple and Qualcomm make peace: stop legal disputes, for the sake of 5G , Intel Corporation announces its willingness to leave the market for 5G modems for smartphone , while ensuring that all commitments already made with customers for the current 4G modem product line are met.
If the legal quarrels between Apple and Qualcomm had continued, Intel would have been the most likely and suitable candidate to provide the Apple with 5G modems for future generations of iPhones. But the plea agreement between the two companies evaporates the hopes of the Santa Clara society, leading it to take a drastic decision.
However, Intel has specified that it does not intend to launch any 5G smartphone modem in the future, not even those whose debut had already been planned for 2020. The Santa Clara company has also declared that it intends to complete a verification of commercial opportunities for 4G modems and 5G for PC devices, Internet of Things and in general for "data-centric" devices , as well as continuing to invest in 5G network infrastructures.
"We are very excited about the opportunities offered by 5G and the 'cloudification' of the network, but in the smartphone modem market it is clear that there is no clear path to profitability. 5G continues to be a strategic priority for Intel, and the Our team has developed a catalog of value of wireless and intellectual property products. We are verifying our options to realize the value we have created, including opportunities in a wide range of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world " declared Bob Swan, CEO of Intel .
The company will provide further details at the next conference call on the results of the first fiscal quarter of 2019, scheduled for next April 25th.