The compan­ies are both large divers­ified techno­logy corpor­ations that make many other produc­tsThe two largest smartphone makers in the world supply a majority of their own modem chips to help their devices connect to wireless data networks, according to evidence presented at an antitrust trial for chip supplier Qualcomm. That has become a big market for Qualcomm, which controlled 59.6 per cent of the $15.3 billion market for 4G modem chips in 2017, according to IDC’s Phil Solis, who studies mobile chips for the research firm. Samsung internally sources 52 per cent of the modem chips it uses, with 38 per cent from Qualcomm and the rest from other makers, according to the presentation. Also, the FTC’s case centres not on the overall modem chip market – which includes slower chips that go into cheaper handsets – but rather the market for speedy “premium” chips where Qualcomm is among the only options. Apple depends entirely on Intel and Qualcomm for modem chips, though the iPhones released in 2018 use Intel modems exclusively.

Source: The Express Tribune January 05, 2019 10:52 UTC