Intel Gaining Larger Foothold in iPhone LTE Chip Supply Chain as Apple Distances Itself From Qualcomm

[avanpelt]

I don't care. It's not like the networks are pushing the limits of what the chips can support. However I am curious on their CDMA abilities since Qualcomm owns a lot of patents on that chip technology.

Based on the iPhone 7 Qualcomm vs. Intel tests on the same network, the fact that the networks are nowhere near pushing the limits of what the chips can support is immaterial. The tests, as I recall, showed that the iPhone 7 with the Intel chip performed worse overall when compared to the iPhone 7 with the Qualcomm chip when both were being used on the same network.

As for CDMA support, this may be the year that it is officially dropped from the iPhone. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but here in the U.S., I haven't seen a Verizon iPhone on their CDMA network in years. Sprint is likely the carrier in the U.S. that would suffer greatly from lack of CDMA support in future iPhones.

 

[jkozlow3]

As for CDMA support, this may be the year that it is officially dropped from the iPhone. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but here in the U.S., I haven't seen a Verizon iPhone on their CDMA network in years. Sprint is likely the carrier in the U.S. that would suffer greatly from lack of CDMA support in future iPhones.

Huh? In YEARS?? There are still a LOT of Verizon customers that don't have VoLTE enabled on their phones (even if their phone supports it). I only just enabled VoLTE in 2016 myself (Verizon customer). Before that LTE was too sparse in my city to make reliable calls without dropping - especially while driving around town.

Guess what all of those people are using to make calls if they don't have VoLTE enabled? CDMA.

Your comment is way off base. I would be SHOCKED if Apple dropped CDMA support in the next iPhone. We're still 2 years out from that being a reality. Many rural customers and customers who work in office buildings with poor reception would be screwed. No way Apple is going to do that.

 

[44267547]

And.......Intel chip sucks!! :-(
---------------------------------------------------------------
"ugh!- Sounds like this is the NEW TSMC vs Samsung chip debate.

@Sunny1990. Not even close to being the same Realm as The Samsung debacle. That's an entirely different and you're conflating two separate entities.

 

[macfacts]

So does the Intel modem, so...what's your point?

It is easy to say the Intel modem is good without proof.

Must be some conspiracy if multiple websites are reporting the opposite of your claim.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/aaront...y-iphone-7-intel-qualcomm-modem/#16658a016c79

For consumers, the downside of owning an Intel version is significant. The tests revealed that Qualcomm-powered iPhone 7s are able to consistently establish stronger connections to LTE networks than Intel-powered iPhone 7s. Qualcomm modems outran Intel modems by 30% in overall performance, and 75% when the signal was at its weakest.
​

http://iphone.appleinsider.com/arti...em-to-keep-performance-on-par-with-intel-chip

A follow-up report regarding iPhone 7 download speeds confirms Apple is indeed limiting the performance of Verizon/Sprint units with Qualcomm modems to keep parity with AT&T/T-Mobile versions running Intel's new communication package.

​

The Intel modem is also buggy.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...vice-after-turning-off-airplane-mode.1998373/

Apple is aware of and investigating an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus issue that can result in the loss of cellular service after turning off Airplane Mode on the devices, according to internal documents obtained by MacRumors.... Both of the iPhones are said to be AT&T models, which means the iPhone 7 has an Intel modem rather than a Qualcomm modem used for Verizon and Sprint models
​

The Intel modem also has Bluetooth connectivity problems ... https://www.google.ca/search?q=iphone+intel+qualcomm+bluetooth+skipping

 

[kdarling]

Apple would still have to pay royalties to Qualcomm. Remember, Qualcomm owns a lot of the patents required to build a modern mobile radio.

Correct. Qualcomm has patents on 2G/3G/4G/5G.

And a reminder to those who don't already know: CDMA royalties are not limited to Verizon/Sprint/Japan/Korea phones. GSM also uses a CDMA radio for 3G.

In other words, right now virtually every smartphone on the planet uses Qualcomm's CDMA technology. In ten years that might change.

They still pay them even if they went all Intel. Technically Intel would pay them and pass the cost on to Apple as part of the chip cost.

In most cases, and specifically in the case of the iPhone, the phone manufacturer pays the Qualcomm royalty, not the chip maker.

The manufacturers in the case of Apple devices are Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal, and they are the licensees.

That's why Qualcomm is suing those four companies for non-payment. They've had contracts for years with Qualcomm (some long before there ever was an iPhone), and long paid the same rate no matter who made the modem chip used in any device they assembled, and no matter whom the device was made for.

But now Apple stopped paying those companies back for the royalties they were paying Qualcomm, which really should be a breach of contract between them and Apple. But considering Apple's history, versus Qualcomm rarely suing, those companies decided it was less risky to not pay Qualcomm instead.

 

[avanpelt]

Huh? In YEARS?? There are still a LOT of Verizon customers that don't have VoLTE enabled on their phones (even if their phone supports it). I only just enabled VoLTE in 2016 myself (Verizon customer). Before that LTE was too sparse in my city to make reliable calls without dropping - especially while driving around town.

Guess what all of those people are using to make calls if they don't have VoLTE enabled? CDMA.

Your comment is way off base. I would be SHOCKED if Apple dropped CDMA support in the next iPhone. We're still 2 years out from that being a reality. Many rural customers and customers who work in office buildings with poor reception would be screwed. No way Apple is going to do that.

My comment is not "way off base". I was simply relaying my own anecdotal experience.

This change, if it were to happen, would not affect Verizon customers who already have iPhones that don't have VoLTE enabled or customers that have an iPhone that doesn't support VoLTE. Verizon has Wi-Fi Calling now, which they didn't have even 12 months ago. I think that would be the go-to technology on the new iPhone for many people in office buildings or rural homes who previously relied on a CDMA signal.

Edit: I see now that Intel apparently has a modem that supports CDMA. I'm sure it's no coincidence that they developed such a modem late last year/early this year. I just hope they've ironed out the kinks based on the feedback from the iPhone 7 modem.

 

[iDuel]

My comment is not "way off base". I was simply relaying my own anecdotal experience.

This change, if it were to happen, would not affect Verizon customers who already have iPhones that don't have VoLTE enabled or customers that have an iPhone that doesn't support VoLTE. Verizon has Wi-Fi Calling now, which they didn't have even 12 months ago. I think that would be the go-to technology on the new iPhone for many people in office buildings or rural homes who previously relied on a CDMA signal.

Edit: I see now that Intel apparently has a modem that supports CDMA. I'm sure it's no coincidence that they developed such a modem late last year/early this year. I just hope they've ironed out the kinks based on the feedback from the iPhone 7 modem.

Yes, it is indeed "way off base". Your anecdotal experience is definitely not enough to make a proclamation that Verizon phones haven't used CDMA in years. On my desk, I am looking at a Verizon iPhone 7 that is currently on 3G which is connected to the CDMA network. You cannot expect people to use Wi-Fi calling in the absence of CDMA capability in an iPhone. Most offices and corporate environments do not permit the necessary ports for Wi-Fi calling to work. What is your solution for when I am driving in a rural area and am in an area where Verizon does not have adequate LTE coverage? Where should I get my Wi-Fi from for Wi-Fi calling?

The point at which Apple can drop CDMA support on the iPhone is at the time that Verizon shuts down its 1x/3G networks.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I don't like Qualcomm, but it's hard to argue against the fact that they make better LTE chips and are ahead of the curve in terms of the tech behind them.

 

[SR71]

What


What carrier?

T-Mobile.

 

[I7guy]

Yes, it is indeed "way off base". Your anecdotal experience is definitely not enough to make a proclamation that Verizon phones haven't used CDMA in years. On my desk, I am looking at a Verizon iPhone 7 that is currently on 3G which is connected to the CDMA network. You cannot expect people to use Wi-Fi calling in the absence of CDMA capability in an iPhone. Most offices and corporate environments do not permit the necessary ports for Wi-Fi calling to work. What is your solution for when I am driving in a rural area and am in an area where Verizon does not have adequate LTE coverage? Where should I get my Wi-Fi from for Wi-Fi calling?

The point at which Apple can drop CDMA support on the iPhone is at the time that Verizon shuts down its 1x/3G networks.

Fwiw, my company allows wifi calling on the network, and it's a regulated company. Companies can open the ports. But I recognize that is different than your situation.

 

[iDuel]

Fwiw, my company allows wifi calling on the network, and it's a regulated company. Companies can open the ports. But I recognize that is different than your situation.

Yeah, it really depends on what company policy is regarding use of the Wi-Fi network. Even so, it still is really unreasonable to tell a consumer "Oh yeah we stopped supporting an important technology on the iPhone for your carrier, but you can still use Wi-Fi calling which may or may not work out depending on the situation"

 

[DeepIn2U]

And THIS is how Intel becomes a MAJOR player in the mobile space beyond their CPU business without ever having to make a full chipset or motherboard (like their CPU business).

I cannot WAIT for Intel to license Arm technology designs and then learn and modify to extend along with their internal GPU business! Yeah ... we'll see what occurs 4yrs from now.

 

[eveluvsrainbows]

It is easy to say the Intel modem is good without proof.

Must be some conspiracy if multiple websites are reporting the opposite of your claim.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/aaront...y-iphone-7-intel-qualcomm-modem/#16658a016c79

For consumers, the downside of owning an Intel version is significant. The tests revealed that Qualcomm-powered iPhone 7s are able to consistently establish stronger connections to LTE networks than Intel-powered iPhone 7s. Qualcomm modems outran Intel modems by 30% in overall performance, and 75% when the signal was at its weakest.
​

http://iphone.appleinsider.com/arti...em-to-keep-performance-on-par-with-intel-chip

A follow-up report regarding iPhone 7 download speeds confirms Apple is indeed limiting the performance of Verizon/Sprint units with Qualcomm modems to keep parity with AT&T/T-Mobile versions running Intel's new communication package.

​

The Intel modem is also buggy.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...vice-after-turning-off-airplane-mode.1998373/

Apple is aware of and investigating an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus issue that can result in the loss of cellular service after turning off Airplane Mode on the devices, according to internal documents obtained by MacRumors.... Both of the iPhones are said to be AT&T models, which means the iPhone 7 has an Intel modem rather than a Qualcomm modem used for Verizon and Sprint models
​

The Intel modem also has Bluetooth connectivity problems ... https://www.google.ca/search?q=iphone+intel+qualcomm+bluetooth+skipping

That is extremely funny because I'm not experiencing any of those issues. Probably because two things called modem firmware updates as well as carrier updates exist. So again, your claims that the Intel modem are poop are invalid.

 

[sudo1996]

Hey, Qualcomm. Talk ****, get hit, I guess.

 

[dampfnudel]

This is unfortunate. It's fairly common knowledge the Intel version of the iPhone 7 is significantly worse than the Broadcom version. I switched and signal strength and speed both went back up.

Sucks Apple has to go with the inferior supplier :-(

Hopefully, Apple will persuade Intel to "get it right" next time if Intel wants to continue doing business with them. Otherwise, it will become well known beyond sites like this that not all iPhones are created equal.
[doublepost=1496421168][/doublepost]

Hey, Qualcomm. Talk ****, get hit, I guess.

In a way, Qualcomm acts like Apple and most other companies. If we have a good amount of leverage to get a better deal, why not use it? It would be a disservice to our stockholders and ourselves to do otherwise.

 

[kdarling]

However I am curious on their CDMA abilities since Qualcomm owns a lot of patents on that chip technology.

- In 1997 a fabless company called LSI Logic licensed Qualcomm CDMA chip tech for their designs.
- In 2002 a company called Via Telecom bought LSI Logic's CDMA assets for same reason.
- In 2015 Intel bought the CDMA assets of Via Telecom.

So Intel has licensed the CDMA2000 processor design from Qualcomm. But that's just the physical DSP based chip. It doesn't include the complicated software that runs on it. Qualcomm licenses that separately to those who wish to use it.

...

Interestingly, the Via Telecom design is based on a DSP by an fabless company in Israel called CEVA.

The Infineon GSM broadband processor designs that Intel bought back around 2010, also used CEVA DSP cores, a tech that Intel was already licensing from CEVA.

So it all worked out very nicely. Intel basically acquired enough compatible IP to create a full stack broadband processor chip.

 

[4RUNRCLB]

There's only one solution: Apple makes one themselves.

I'm honestly surprised that they haven't ventured more into this by now.

 

[magbarn]

Yo

That is extremely funny because I'm not experiencing any of those issues. Probably because two things called modem firmware updates as well as carrier updates exist. So again, your claims that the Intel modem are poop are invalid.

You must be living in the city or a well covered area as in suburbia where we live my Qualcomm 7+ blows away my wife's intel 7+ and we're both on att. If you noticed in the graphs in the articles provided, the difference between the 2 modems are most apparent in poor signal areas which frequently happens in suburban and rural areas.

 

[mi7chy]

Can you hear me now?

Qualcomm vs Intel radio
http://www.zdnet.com/article/back-to-samsung-from-the-apple-iphone-for-one-reason-signal-strength/