According to unconfirmed reports from Asia, Apple is ending its own modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own 5G modem chip.

According to the operator of the “yeux1122” news aggregator account on the Naver blog, supply chain sources connected to Apple’s 5G modem divisions say the company’s efforts to develop its own modem have so far failed and are in the process of winding down. Separately, a leaker known as @Tech_Reve said today that they had heard similar reports from a Japanese supply chain source.

It’s too early to tell whether the latest reports are true, but Apple’s efforts to develop its own modem chip have been hobbled by serious problems with unrealistic goals and a poor understanding of the challenges involved, according to a September report from the Wall Street Journal. and unusable prototypes.

Apple’s plan to develop its own modem has led to the hiring of thousands of engineers: In 2019, Apple bought most of Intel’s smartphone modem business, and company executives have filled the project’s ranks with Intel engineers and other hires from Qualcomm. The target is to have the modem chip ready by fall 2023.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple continues to face problems as it tries to develop a 5G modem to replace Qualcomm’s 5G modems in the iPhone and other products. The launch of the modem chip has reportedly been delayed to late 2025 or early 2026, but Apple still plans to offer the technology in a low-cost iPhone SE version.

It is stated that development of the modem chip is still in its early stages and “may be years behind the competition.” One of the versions in development does not support faster mmWave technology, and Apple has also encountered problems with the Intel code it is working on. Rewrites were necessary, and adding new features broke existing features; Additionally, Apple had to be careful not to infringe on Qualcomm’s patents when developing the chip.

Despite the delays, the company was believed to be continuing development work while trying to end its expensive deal with Qualcomm. Apple sued Qualcomm in 2017 over claims of anticompetitive practices and $1 billion in unpaid royalties. The two companies settled the case in 2019.

Apple’s first modem chip was expected to be a standalone chip, but the company hoped to eventually develop a system-on-chip that would also eliminate suppliers like Broadcom and give it more control over component development.