ZOAHARIAN.COM – The relationship between Apple and Qualcomm is still not really over. Even though Apple is known to continue to strive to reduce its dependence on modems made by Qualcomm, the two companies have actually extended their patent licensing cooperation globally.

Qualcomm announced that its patent licensing agreement with Apple has been renewed and will take effect on April 1, 2027. Qualcomm made this announcement in a fairly short press release.

In fact, the quote from Qualcomm in the announcement only consists of one sentence.

“We are pleased to extend the Apple license agreement,” ujar John Han, Executive Vice President sekaligus General Manager Qualcomm Technology Licensing.

Not much information was disclosed regarding the value or details of the latest agreement. Qualcomm said that the terms of the agreement are confidential.

This latest agreement is a continuation of the licensing relationship between the two companies which reached another important point in2019. At that time, Apple and Qualcomm resolved their legal dispute and Apple agreed to pay royalties to Qualcomm for the use of the company's patented technology.

In the 2019 agreement, there was an extension option which Apple then used in 2024. This step resulted in the validity period of the previous agreement being extended untilthe end of March 2027.

Now, before the old agreement ends, the two of them have confirmed that the patent license will continue.

Interestingly, this extension remains in effect even though Apple is trying to build its own modem ecosystem. In recent years, Apple has continued to develop internal modem technology to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm.

This means that if Apple actually abandons the Qualcomm modem completely, the relationship between the two will not necessarily be completely broken. Apple may still have payment obligations to Qualcomm if it uses technology covered by the company's patent portfolio.

The amount of royalties in the latest agreement has not been disclosed to the public. Thus, one thing that is clear is that Apple and Qualcomm will still have a business relationship regarding patent licensing at least after April 2027.

For Apple, developing its own modem is part of a long-term strategy to control more of the core technology of its devices. Meanwhile for Qualcomm, the patent portfolio remains an important source of business that allows the company to earn income even when device manufacturers no longer use all of its components.