Apple has posted a job listing for a 6G Cellular Modem Systems Engineer, a role tasked with defining and building the next generation of cellular technology as the company moves to 6G. The position, opened on October 19, belongs to the team building Apple's in-house modems: the company has designed its own cellular chips since the C1 in the iPhone 16e, and the current Pro models already use the C2 modem. Anyone building a proprietary modem must also master the next standard.
6G is still under development. Frequency bands have not been set, and official performance requirements will not be approved until later this year. The standard aims for faster data uploads, lower latency and better power efficiency, and is expected to reach smartphones around 2030.
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Apple is not alone in the race. Qualcomm, Nokia, Samsung and Ericsson are all researching 6G, and Apple is a founding member of the Next G Alliance, the industry group set up by ATIS to advance the technology in North America. Apple job listings referencing 6G date back to 2021, and by late 2023 the team was growing.
The 5G experience explains the move. For years Apple tried to buy or develop its own 5G modem to free itself from Qualcomm, and the C1 chip arrived only in 2025, six years after Apple bought modem technology from Intel. Qualcomm has said it will keep supplying Apple 5G modems for higher-end phones until March 2027. Apple's hiring for 6G appears aimed at being ready for the new standard from the start, rather than repeating that dependency.
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Analysts counsel patience on timing. A Recon Analytics analyst notes that standards take a decade from concept to commercialization, so companies must hire years before products exist. Avi Greengart of Techsponential says it is far too early to need engineers building 6G modems, but it is the right moment to invest in shaping standards and building 6G intellectual property that can offset future licensing costs. Like Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia, Apple will need to develop patents before the commercial standard arrives.
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