Apple will buy 5G modem until March 2027 affirms Qualcomm

Apple has expanded its 5G modem licensing partnership with Qualcomm until March 2027, affirmed the chip maker during FY 2024 1st Quarter Earning release.

“Apple exercised its unilateral option to extend its global patent license agreement for an additional 2 years, taking the existing agreement through to March 2027” revealed the company during the earnings call.

In September, Qualcomm announced an Agreement with Apple to supply Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems for smartphones launching in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The news came amid rumors that the iPhone maker is working on its modem technology. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said previously that Apple is delaying its self-developed iPhone modem for the next two years.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Modem (source – Qualcomm)

An initial plan to introduce Apple’s modem was decided in 2024 but delayed due to unknown reasons.

Aside from networking frequency, the modem needs to be power efficient. A faulty modem could sip out the battery and produce a massive amount of heat in a smartphone. Therefore, verification of the modem is an essential process before commercial use.

With this new expansion, we could expect, iPhone 16, iPhone 17, and probably iPhone 18 to arrive with Qualcomm modem chipsets. There might be a chance for Apple to showcase its modem technologies with a smaller variant but it may need some time to ensure that the device would work properly for customers.

(Source – Qualcomm)