Submitted by Bob Bhatnagar on
Qualcomm is talking to Apple about its new hybrid mobile chipsets going into future iPhones. These chips would make it possible for one iPhone to work on several different carriers, including Verizon and AT&T.
The chips are not expected to make it into the summer 2010 iPhone release, as they are too new to have been properly field tested. DigiTimes is reporting that Qualcomm is looking for a deal with Apple for "future cooperation".
The company has felt market pressure as several popular smartphones do not use its technology. The iPhone, BlackBerry and Palm Pre use Infineon, Freescale and Marvell chips respectively. Qualcomm currently supplies 3G chips to LG, Samsung and HTC.
The first phones using Qualcomm's hybrid chip should hit shelves in late 2010.
This chip makes it possible to communicate on CDMA/EVDO carriers including Verizon and Sprint, as well as UMTS/HSPA+ carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the same chip supports LTE, which is a network technology the major carriers plan to implement starting next year.Qualcomm is the inventor of CDMA technology.