Intel today made a major decision regarding its future in 5G.
Intel says that it's exiting the 5G smartphone modem business. The company says that it will meet its current customer commitments for its existing 4G smartphone modem line, but it is ending plans to launch 5G smartphone modems, which were originally planned for 2020.
“We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the ‘cloudification’ of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns,” Intel CEO Bob Swan explained. “5G continues to be a strategic priority across Intel, and our team has developed a valuable portfolio of wireless products and intellectual property. We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world.”
This news comes hot on the heels of Apple and Qualcomm's decision to settle their ongoing legal dispute. While neither company is saying that these moves were all related, it's possible that Apple was planning to use Intel for its 5G modems but then either Apple or Intel changed their mind on those 5G modems, which may have spurred Apple to strike a deal with Qualcomm while Intel killed its 5G smartphone modem plans.