Phone 17 5G modems will be made by MediaTek, as Apple moves away from Qualcomm. Future iPhones will use Apple's solutions instead.

At the heart of the system, the C1 (Cellular 1) chip first appears in the iPhone 16e. It is also expected to debut in other Apple devices in the coming months and will likely see use across all or most of the iPhone range by this time next year. Apple calls it “the most power efficient modem ever in an iPhone.”

For years, Apple has relied on third-party companies, like Intel and Qualcomm, to provide 5G modems for its iPhones. But the company has long been working on developing its own modem to become more self-sufficient.