Intel is now making its next-generation modems, the XMM 7560, which will be used in the 2018 iPhone lineup. The modem represents a milestone for Intel in a couple of ways; it is the first chip to be manufactured solely in house and it is Intel’s first chip to support CDMA and GSM. In previous years, Intel outsoruced manufacturing to TSMC and all CDMA iPhones (e.g. Verizon and Sprint models) had to use Qualcomm chips as the Intel modem could not support CDMA.
Apple’s original plan for the 2018 iPhones, via Nikkei, was for Intel to have exclusivity on modem orders for the first time — amidst its legal disputes with Qualcomm. However, this is apparently not going to happen this year because Intel has faced some as-yet-unresolved quality issues as it ramps production.
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