This post was originally published on IT Pro Today
(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. signed a new multiyear, multibillion-dollar deal with Broadcom Inc. to get 5G radio frequency components for its devices, extending a sometimes-contentious relationship between two of the world’s biggest tech companies.
The collaboration will include wireless connectivity parts and FBAR filters, which help mobile phones focus airwave signals and reduce interference, Apple said in a statement on Tuesday. The FBAR filters will be designed and built in several US manufacturing hubs, including Fort Collins, Colorado, where Broadcom has a major facility.
The move offers some reassurance to Broadcom investors worried about Apple reducing its reliance on the chipmaker. For Apple, the deal helps ensure that it gets the supplies it needs after a tumultuous stretch during the pandemic. And the pact lets the iPhone maker point to progress in getting components from US sources, though the company is still overwhelmingly dependent on Asia — and particularly China — for its supply.
The agreement also may help alleviate Apple’s dependence on Qualcomm, the biggest maker of smartphone chips, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Anurag Rana said in a report. It’s another indication of Apple’s “intentions to diversify its
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