Apple may buy Intel's modem business for $1 billion as early as next week

Apple is said to be in advanced talks with Intel with a view to buying the company's 5G modem business for a figure upwards of $1 billion.

Following legal wrangles and fallings out with Qualcomm, Apple eventually came to an agreement with the firm, but now it seems that the iPhone-maker is turning its attention to Intel. The deal is said to include a portfolio of patents and staff.

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News of the "advanced talks" come from the Wall Street Journal which cites people familiar with the matter. It goes some way to confirming a report from The Information last month which suggested Apple had a keen interested in Intel's modem business.

While details of the unconfirmed deal talks are a little thin, it is thought that more than $1 billion could change hands, and it could be concluded as early as next week -- if talks don't collapse, of course.

In the short-term, any deal with Intel would have no impact on the arrangement Apple currently has with Qualcomm, but it means that future 5G iPhones are likely to feature Intel modems as production is brought in-house.

Image credit: Primakov / Shutterstock