This worries me. Wouldn't this leave us with Qualcomm once again the only manafacturer of cellular modems for everyone else? I somehow doubt Apple would keep supplying the Intel parts to any other OEMs.
This could go either way.
Apple is clearly doing this because they want to give Qualcomm the finger. But if they really want to do that then they do sell parts to any other OEM.
Most of the devices these radios go in don't actually compete with Apple products. The largest volume is in low end phones and things with radios that aren't even phones, like base stations and smart meters. Apple could sell the chips for commodity prices and make a bit of profit for itself while still undercutting Qualcomm and making them hurt bad in the volume segment of the market where Apple doesn't otherwise compete but where Qualcomm makes a lot of its money.
Never gonna happen. You can't just sell the chips, you also need to provide a TON of support to your customers and integrators and in the semiconductor business that's way too much of a hassle for Apple to be worth it. They have much bigger fish to fry.
They could always set up a joint venture, Apple brings the IP. The partner does the day to day stuff. It doesn't make a lot of sense to be sitting on top of IP and R&D that could be amortised over a much larger number of units.
For example, when Google bought ITA, ITA was required to continue licensing the software on "commercially reasonable terms" to other people.
See https://www.wired.com/2011/04/google-ita/ for an example.
Now, whether this will happen in today's FTC/DOJ, no idea.
But that is one traditional path here.
oh wait, Unisoc is the company Intel shared 5G modem secrets with https://www.scmp.com/tech/science-research/article/2187895/i... ...
They already are.
In a few years it could be so that all the tier 1 smartphone vendors have their in-house cellular modem.
Does it matter?
1. Intel aren't selling their modem to anyone else anyway.
2. MediaTek Still supplies Discrete Modem.
3. Apple, Huawei, Samsung are already 50%+ of the market.
With Xiaomi, BBK ( Vivo OnePlus Oppo ) going to have their own / shared Modem solution in a few years time. Which combined to ~20% market. There isn't that much of a market left for players other than Qualcomm and Mediatek.
A better alternative would be for another interested buyer to appear at the negotiating table, presumably that would require the price to somehow magically come down.
Edit: @DannyBee above has already helpfully commented that the FTC has previously required that the buyer continues to sell to / support customers for some time period following the purchase.
I don't think it makes a ton of sense for Apple to resell their A-series CPUs, but 4G modems is a little different, they're more generic. If they manage to make good modems why wouldn't they sell them to others? The people buying iPhones won't switch to an Android device, just because it's the same modem.
Cheapo android handset makers wouldn't be able to afford the resulting silicon - it'll be too expensive due to the large area. It'll also likely diverge from the way everyone else builds modems - no more AT commands!