Bloomberg: Apple hires engineers to work on 6G wireless connection

Apple hires engineers to work on next-generation 6G wireless technology, based on the to-do list seen Bloombergsee Mark Gurman.

According to Gurman’s report, there are positions at Apple’s offices in Silicon Valley and San Diego, where the company is working on wireless technology development and chip design.

“You will have the unique and rewarding opportunity to develop the next generation of wireless technology that will have a profound impact on future Apple products,” according to the job announcement. “In this role, you are at the center of a leading research group responsible for developing the next generation of disruptive radio access technologies over the next decade.”

The people appointed to the posts will research and design ‘next generation wireless communication systems (6G) for radio access networks and’ participate in industrial / academic forums passionate about 6G technology. ‘

Apple first adopted 5G connectivity in its iPhones last year, and 6G is not expected to launch until around 2030, but mailing lists suggest Apple is eager to get involved in the earliest stages of new technology development.

Late last year, Apple joined the Next G Alliance, an industry group founded by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) that aims to advance North American leadership for mobile technology in 6G and beyond over the next decade, while they build on the long-term evolution of 5G. “

The Next G Alliance held its first meeting for members in November to determine the overarching direction and strategy of the initiative. The other members of the group include Charter, Cisco, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Keysight Technologies, LG, Mavenir, MITER and VMware.

In September, AT&T said that there are already engineers working on the next generation 6G networks. According to some analysts, the technology could enable speeds of more than 100 times faster than 5G, but the technology is not expected to arrive for several years.

The move continues with a trend that Apple prefers to develop internal hardware for its devices, rather than relying on third parties. In 2019, Apple and Qualcomm settled a legal battle and reached a multi-year chip supply agreement that paved the way for Apple to use Qualcomm’s 5G modems in iPhone 12 models.

In addition, a court document from the settlement revealed that Apple is likely to use the Snapdragon X60 modem for 2021 iPhones, followed by the world’s first 10 Gigabit 5G modem, the Snapdragon X65, in 2022 iPhones.

The Snapdragon X65 may be the last Qualcomm modem to be used in iPhones, as Barclays analysts and several other sources have predicted that Apple will switch to its own 5G modem for iPhones by 2023.