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

Apple hires engineers to work on next-generation 6G wireless technology, based on job listings detected by BloombergMark Gurman.

The lists correspond to Apple’s offices in Silicon Valley and San Diego, where the company is working on wireless technology development and chip design, according to Gurman’s report.

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

People hired for the sites will “research and design next-generation (6G) wireless communication systems for radio access networks” and “participate in industry / academic forums passionate about 6G technology.”

Apple only adopted 5G connectivity to its iPhones last year and 6G is not expected to launch until around 2030, but job listings indicate that Apple is eager to get involved in the early stages of new technology development.

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

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

In September, AT&T said it already has engineers working on next-generation 6G networks. Some analysts say the technology could allow speeds more than 100 times faster than 5G, but again, the technology is not expected to arrive in the next few years.

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

Beyond that, a court settlement document revealed that Apple will likely use the Snapdragon X60 modem for the 2021 iPhones, followed by the world’s first 10 Gigabit 5G modem, the Snapdragon X65, the 2022 iPhones.

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