Intel Mobile Communications (IMC), is the mobile research and development division of

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the devel ...

. It was formed when Intel completed the acquisition of the Wireless Solutions (WLS) division of

Infineon Infineon Technologies AG is a German semiconductor manufacturer founded in 1999, when the semiconductor operations of the former parent company Siemens AG were spun off. Infineon has about 50,280 employees and is one of the ten largest semicond ...

early in 2011 for US$1.4 billion. The

subsidiary Comneon was also acquired by Intel and integrated into Intel Mobile Communications. IMC maintained offices in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

from the Comneon deal under ''Intel Mobile Communications GmbH''. IMC develops, manufactures and markets

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...

products and solutions for

wireless communications Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

. It targets the fast-growing market segments of

smart phones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

, connected devices (e.g. tablets, USB dongles, mobile PCs, M2M), and ultra-low-cost/entry phones. Its roadmap is focused on providing cost-effective 2G/ 3G single-chip platforms for ULC phones up to entry-level smart phones and 3G/ 4G slim modem and RF solutions for mid-to high-end smart phones and connected devices. In 2013 due to re-organization, a new organization was formed, named WPRD (Wireless Products Research & Development), which included the former IMC teams, and also the former MWG (Intel legacy Mobile and Wireless Group). This organization was managed by Aicha Evans. In 2016 the name was changed to iCDG (Intel Communications Devices Group). In 2017 Aicha Evans moved and became the chief strategy officer of Intel.

Products

Intel Mobile Communications developed 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G

modem A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by modulating one or more c ...

s under the Intel XMM modems brand. Intel Mobile Communications developed the Intel

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas ...

Z2000, Z2460, Z2580 system on a chip (SoC) processors. In 2017, external publications (not confirmed by Intel or Apple) indicated that the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

iPhone 7 & 8 LTE modems, in most of the units shipped, were based on Intel chips (developed at IMC or iCDG).

Acquisition by Apple

On April 16, 2019, Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement which included Apple paying an unspecified amount, entering into a six-year patent licensing agreement, and a multi-year agreement for Qualcomm to provide hardware to Apple. Shortly after Intel announced they will exit the 5G smartphone modem business to focus 5G efforts on network infrastructure. On July 25, 2019, Apple and Intel announced an agreement for Apple to acquire Intel Mobile Communications' smartphone modem business for US$1 billion. Intel will continue to develop modems for non-smartphones such as PCs, IoT devices, and

autonomous vehicles Vehicular automation involves the use of mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and multi-agent systems to assist the operator of a vehicle (car, aircraft, watercraft, or otherwise).Hu, J.; Bhowmick, P.; Lanzon, A.,Group Coordinated Control ...

References

External links

Official website

Apple iPhone modems review
{{Authority control Intel