Intel has always struggled to make its mobile business as successful as its computer business thanks competition from Qualcomm. However, 2016 may be the year that Intel finally gets a solid foothold if new reports are to be believed. According to the reports, Intel will be supplying Apple with the LTE modems it needs for some of the iPhones that it will be selling next year. These Intel-powered iPhones will be shipped to emerging markets in Asia and Latin America.
Intel will reportedly supply Apple with LTE modems for some iPhones sold in 2016, in what would be a huge win for the chip maker’s wireless modem business and a shot across the bows of market leader Qualcomm. Future iPhones sold in “emerging markets in Asia and Latin America” would get Intel’s XMM7360 modem inside, Venture Beat reported this week, citing unnamed sources. Intel showcased the XMM7360 at Mobile World Congress earlier this month. The fast wireless solution supports Category 9/10 LTE and 3X carrier aggregation and can deliver up to 450 Mbps download speeds. Intel has said it will release the XMM7360 in the second half of this year. Intel acquired Infineon’s wireless solutions business in 2010, rolling the German company’s assets and technology into its Intel Mobile and Communications Group. A few years ago, Intel launched the first XMM product, the 4G LTE XMM 7160 modem. The XMM7360 is a third-generation LTE modem, following on from 2014’s XMM7260.
