Apple is accelerating its push to control more of its wireless stack by developing an in‑house Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth solution, aiming to reduce reliance on Broadcom components. A Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the matter, indicates that Apple intends to roll out its own controller and progressively phase out Broadcom parts by 2025. At present, Broadcom remains Apple’s largest supplier, representing a sizable share of its revenue as the Cupertino company continues a long‑standing relationship with the chipmaker.
Sources describe a next‑generation design that would merge cellular connectivity with Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth into a single, integrated module. The goal is to simplify hardware paths, reduce bill of materials complexity, and improve power efficiency across Apple’s product line. While the move would strengthen Apple’s control over critical wireless technologies, it would also mark a significant shift in the supplier ecosystem that has underpinned iPhone and other devices for years.
Smartphones are still Apple’s core revenue engine, with Broadcom also supplying RF chips and other components that enable wireless charging and related features. Despite that continued dependency, Apple’s strategy signals a longer‑term transition toward greater internal design ownership for wireless modules, potentially affecting cost structures and supplier negotiations in the coming years.
Industry analysts have noted that Apple has not yet released a fully in‑house 5G modem or a complete, self‑sufficient 5G solution for iPhone devices. The expectation remains that Apple will eventually pursue its own 5G communications capabilities to reduce reliance on external modem providers such as Qualcomm, while continuing to leverage a broad spectrum of existing technologies during the transition. The timeline aligns with Apple’s broader pattern of integrating more core technologies in‑house as product designs mature and volumes scale.
In the broader market, the move toward integrated wireless systems mirrors a growing trend among leading device makers to consolidate multiple radio and connectivity functions into single, compact modules. Such developments can yield hardware simplification, better system performance, and tighter optimization with software, but they also require substantial investment in research, development, and testing to ensure compatibility across the company’s global product lineup. Analysts will be watching closely how Apple balances the pace of internal integration with the need to maintain performance, reliability, and supply certainty for customers around the world, including North America and other key markets. (Bloomberg report)