Intel appears to be sticking to its guns on its pledge to exit the mobile 5G industry after reports claimed the company is auctioning off much of its cellular wireless connectivity IP portfolio.
The reports state that there are roughly 8,500 assets in Intel’s portfolio, which will be split into two parts. Firstly, the cellular portfolio (counting some 6,000 patent assets on 3G, 4G and 5G), and the connected device portfolio (counting some 1700 assets on wireless implementation tech).
Intel expects non-bidding indications of interest from bidders within two months, but did not offer any further comment on the news.
Intel announced it would be pulling out of the mobile 5G business altogether back in April, saying the cake simply isn’t big enough for anyone to get a satisfactory slice. Back then, the company’s CEO said it’s not quite clear how the company could turn mobile 5G modems into profit, so it’s apparently looking for greens elsewhere.
“We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the ‘cloudification’ of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns,” Bob Swan said.
“5G continues to be a strategic priority across Intel, and our team has developed a valuable portfolio of wireless products and intellectual property. We are assessing our options to realize the value we have created, including the opportunities in a wide variety of data-centric platforms and devices in a 5G world.”
