Can Samsung Get Qualcomm in LTE Market?

Casualty is not Qualcomm but Broadcom

Junko Yoshida, EETimes
7/11/2014 12:55 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. — Samsung took the wraps off a new LTE radio chip this week. The chip, supporting both FDD and TDD, is built on the 28-nm HKMG process. It's noteworthy that Samsung has integrated its own quad-core application processor and called it Exynos ModAP.

In short, Samsung is consolidating its cellular components under the Exynos brand, mimicking Qualcomm's Snapdragon family of mobile chips. The intention is clear: Get Qualcomm.

However, the amount of damage Samsung can wreak in today's totally Qualcomm-dominated LTE market remains unclear.

Samsung's move is destined to design Qualcomm's chips out of Samsung's handsets and tablets. But the LTE-app processor combo chip, which hasn't even hit the market yet, has already delivered the biggest blow. The casualty isn't Qualcomm. It's Broadcom, which announced plans in early June to shut down its cellular baseband business.

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