According to Engadget, Huawei is' open 'to sell its 5g modem, but only to apple. In response, Huawei said to the financial sector website: 'no comment'. So what happened to Huawei selling Apple 5g chips? Why does Huawei sell Apple 5g chips?
Engadget reports that Huawei has been developing its own high-performance processors and modems for many years, all of which provide power for its large number of mobile devices. So far, the company has refused to sell any products to its competitors. However, the company may be softening that position. A source familiar with the situation confirmed to Engadget that Huawei is now 'open' to sell its 5g Balong 5000 chipset, but only for one company: apple.
Apple is rumored to be having trouble with 5g. The company is said to be planning to launch an iPhone with 5g technology in 2020, but there is a problem: Intel, Apple's current chip partner, may not be able to prepare its 5g LTE chip at that time. A recent fast company report quoted an anonymous source who claimed that Apple had 'lost confidence' in Intel after chipmakers failed to meet certain development deadlines. (when asked, an Intel spokesman only said that the company 'plans to launch XMM 81605g multimode modem in 2020 to support the launch of customer devices. ')
This sentiment was reflected in a research report written by UBS analyst Timothy arcuri last week based on 'field research'. Arcuri said UBS did not 'believe [Intel] would be ready for 5g modems', while Apple was' increasingly unable to sell 5g iPhones in 2020.'. '
Meanwhile, the long-term legal dispute between apple and Qualcomm continues to blur the possibility of a future 5g partnership. The jury in the ftc-qcomm case decided earlier this month that Apple owes Qualcomm $31 million in three patent infringements. The two companies will return to court on April 15 to pay billions of dollars in royalties.
Coincidentally, the ftc-qualcomm lawsuit also clearly confirmed Apple's willingness to work with different modem manufacturers, as it began to adjust its 5g plan. Tony Blevins, Apple's head of supply chain, said in testimony that the company had made 5g chipsets produced by Samsung and MediaTek as part of its' project antique 'program because it did not want to rely on a single supplier.
Engadget also pointed out that Huawei is not famous for its chip sales. Earlier this year, Huawei representatives said that 5g Balong chips are only for Huawei's internal use. Huawei also sees apple as its main competitor.
On the other hand, at least the Huawei 5g Balong 5000 chip seems to fit Apple's needs: it supports sub-6 and millimeter wave 5g networks, and is downward compatible with 2G, 3G and 4G LTE networks. This will enable apple to build an iPhone that supports the 5g network built by the existing 4G infrastructure, as well as a 'stand-alone' 5g network to be launched later. If Intel no longer has Apple's trust, Qualcomm is not an option, and Samsung and MediaTek are not practical. The openness provided by Huawei can provide apple with the components needed to launch 5g iPhone in 2020.