Although I think they are building up the ARM SoC business because some of their key patents are about to expire?
This isn't a great summary of Qualcomm. Their cell modems are the best in the business. Apple has been working on developing their own, and were rumored to try using them in their phones this year, but it's sounding like this still won't happen because they're not up to snuff yet. One needs to only read /r/GooglePixel to find out how well Samsung's modems work, and the news there isn't good. This is true even for 5G, which Qualcomm don't have locked down in patents so well as LTE.
>Although I think they are building up the ARM SoC business because some of their key patents are about to expire?
What? Their ARM SoC business has been on the same steady path for a decade now. Apple's SoCs are better, but no one gets to buy those. Everyone who has a choice uses Qualcomm SoCs, except again, Google Pixel, which use Samsung SoCs. Not even Samsung uses Samsung SoCs in their phones anymore.
Qualcomm really really likes their IP.
How come they aren't regulated by antitrust laws?
Here is one of the HN articles, there are plenty more: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15399689
It is worth pointing out Qualcomm isn't just sitting here doing nothing and collecting money. That is the narrative Apple's PR spend years trying to put a spin on. When it was Steve Jobs himself who first put a high value on Qualcomm's patent. May be preciously because he understand the value Qualcomm has to offer. And even at the time Tim Cook was unhappy about putting another $7 on COGS.
For monopolizing the technology that became standardized, and thus required, for all of modern communications.
"Boo hoo, they spent good money for all those patents to make sure they were the only ones you could turn to to make these things!"
They've been wiping their tears away with the stacks of money they charge every single hardware manufacturer for access to that technology for far too long now, including very clearly breaching the spirit of FRAND at least in their dealings with Apple, based on the hard facts that came out with that case.
In that case every single one of the patents holding are "monopolizing" the technology. ( No that is not monopolizing means ). That is including Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and LG. I am not even counting ZTE and Huawei here.
> based on the hard facts that came out with that case.
Hard facts? You mean charging Apple double the amount of the next total six patent holder?
And I think this is the major reason why they have stagnated and have not come out with any ARM SoC's capable of matching what Apple has. They can just rest on their laurels collecting rent from all their license fees while releasing an unimpressive new SoC every once in a while
I really hope one of the big x86 chip makers decides to dip their toes into ARM at some point