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Intel to Auction Off Modem IP and Patents
Intel is planning to auction off its portfolio of patents related to cellular wireless connectivity, according to a new report from IAM.
Intel's upcoming auction follows the company's April decision to exit the 5G smartphone modem business. Intel stopped work on 5G modem technology after Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement and a supply agreement that will see Qualcomm providing 5G modem chips for future iPhones.
Multiple rumors have suggested Apple and Intel have held talks about Apple's potential purchase of Intel's German modem unit. The two were in talks as early as this month, with Intel planning to sell its modem business off in pieces.
Intel is aiming to sell off 8,500 assets from its patent portfolio, including 6,000 patents related to 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular standards and an additional 1,700 patents on wireless implementation technologies.
The auction that Intel has planned is separate from its efforts to sell its smartphone modem business, though IAM speculates that an interested buyer could potentially pick up both. It's also possible that a group of companies could band together to purchase the patents that are up for grabs.
Intel's upcoming auction follows the company's April decision to exit the 5G smartphone modem business. Intel stopped work on 5G modem technology after Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement and a supply agreement that will see Qualcomm providing 5G modem chips for future iPhones.
Multiple rumors have suggested Apple and Intel have held talks about Apple's potential purchase of Intel's German modem unit. The two were in talks as early as this month, with Intel planning to sell its modem business off in pieces.
Intel is aiming to sell off 8,500 assets from its patent portfolio, including 6,000 patents related to 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular standards and an additional 1,700 patents on wireless implementation technologies.
The auction that Intel has planned is separate from its efforts to sell its smartphone modem business, though IAM speculates that an interested buyer could potentially pick up both. It's also possible that a group of companies could band together to purchase the patents that are up for grabs.
It could be that Intel's decision to sell its portfolio is part of a strategy to drum up interest in the modem business as a whole. There is no indication yet that Intel has ruled out selling the patent assets to a non-practising entity, which might encourage a group of operating companies to band together to take the assets off the assertion market.Should Apple purchase either Intel's patent business, Intel's patents, or both, it would give the Cupertino company a leg up in its own mobile chip development. Apple is working on creating its own line of modem chips to reduce reliance on suppliers like Qualcomm, but it will be several years yet before Apple's own chips are ready to be used in iPhones and other devices.
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3 weeks ago
This won't end well for anyone if a patent troll picks them up.
Or worse, Qualcomm;)
3 weeks ago
RE: "but it will be several years yet before Apple's own chips are ready ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/15/apple-designed-iphone-modems-by-2025/') to be used in iPhones and other devices."
That should really read "but it will be several years yet (& NO guarantee)".
The odds that Apple is ever successful with a competitive cellular modem chip is ONLY 1/3 "best case".
1/3 chance they Fail out-right, 1/3 chance they complete the R&D project & then conclude it's NOT competitive.
Cellular Model Development is Rocket Science !
Rocket science? Funny that Qualcomm can't leverage that "rocket science expertise" on processors. They couldn't design an SoC to punch themselves out of a wet paper bag.
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Eh... I’d think this is high-profile enough to prevent that from happening. That is, assuming Apple or some other legitimate tech company can outbid a patent troll, which should be easy.
Well, Apple did join others (Blackberry, Sony and Microsoft) to pick up Nortel's portfolio. The same thing could happen again.
3 weeks ago
I smell a bidding war, which is exactly what Intel needs right now. AMD's new CPUs are putting a lot of pressure on them.
3 weeks ago
Apple should definitely purchase the patents just for protection of their own modem (if it comes to fruition).
3 weeks ago
RE: "but it will be several years yet before Apple's own chips are ready ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/15/apple-designed-iphone-modems-by-2025/') to be used in iPhones and other devices."
That should really read "but it will be several years yet (& NO guarantee)".
The odds that Apple is ever successful with a competitive cellular modem chip is ONLY 1/3 "best case".
1/3 chance they Fail out-right, 1/3 chance they complete the R&D project & then conclude it's NOT competitive.
Cellular Model Development is Rocket Science !
That should really read "but it will be several years yet (& NO guarantee)".
The odds that Apple is ever successful with a competitive cellular modem chip is ONLY 1/3 "best case".
1/3 chance they Fail out-right, 1/3 chance they complete the R&D project & then conclude it's NOT competitive.
Cellular Model Development is Rocket Science !
3 weeks ago
Sadly this is Apple's MO to BK their partners then pick up their IPs for cheap to send offshore.
3 weeks ago
What exactly does wireless/cellular tech expertise have to do with processor design? Besides, aren't they the biggest manufacturer of mobile processors?
The Physics is universal and Apple has a massive staff of PhDs. Sorry, but RF Mesh theory is well researched to death at the academic level and Apple's superior SoC design knowledge with CPUs/GPGPUs/T2 chip DSP, now Afterburner FPGA programmable ASIC and more includes the teams talents to build modems. What they don't have is the IP of new implementations in the 5G arena to bring it to market.
3 weeks ago
RE: "but it will be several years yet before Apple's own chips are ready ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/15/apple-designed-iphone-modems-by-2025/') to be used in iPhones and other devices."
That should really read "but it will be several years yet (& NO guarantee)".
The odds that Apple is ever successful with a competitive cellular modem chip is ONLY 1/3 "best case".
1/3 chance they Fail out-right, 1/3 chance they complete the R&D project & then conclude it's NOT competitive.
Cellular Model Development is Rocket Science !
given their market position it can be competitive to have their own RF and BB chipsets.
Purchase of the Intel division makes sense - it's already close to an Apple RD centre. NB the Intel modem chips were fabbed on 28nm TMSC last time I was involved (iphone 7 era IIRC) - nothing to do with intel's CPU fabs
3 weeks ago
Intel cellular patents up for auction? I’m in.
Just need to check the couch cushion first.
Just need to check the couch cushion first.
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