BY: Andrew Edwards
Apple and Qualcomm have finally resolved their legal battle, opening up the possibility for everyone to have 5G phones within the near future.
On Tuesday, the two sides announced a surprise ending to their patent licensing battle, resolving a two-year dispute over Qualcomm’s licensing fees. Apple had accused Qualcomm of anticompetitive practices that pushed chip prices higher, restricted competition and weighed on customer choice. Qualcomm countered by saying the iPhone wouldn’t be possible without its technology, so it should get paid for its innovation.
Nearly every major phone company is opening up their lines for the highly anticipated release of the 5G network. Apple has yet to do so.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf, during an interview with CNBC, declined to say when a 5G modem could show up in the iPhone.
“We won’t talk about Apple’s product plans,” he said. “There’s obviously the beginning ramp of 5G broadly.”
Although the two are indeed working together, it sounds like 5G will not be available to Apple users until 2020 at the latest. Until then, other phone carriers might be able to try the innovative technology later in 2019.
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