New Delhi, Feb. 22 -- Apple Inc. on Wednesday unveiled its first-ever custom modem chip, Apple C1, while launching the iPhone 16e. The chip, which was years in the making, is not just about connectivity speed. It marks a major shift that can significantly alter the structure of the global technology supply chain in the long run. Mint explains why.

The move is not sudden. Apple's move to develop a modem has been a long time coming. In 2018, Apple and US chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. played out a long-drawn battle across courts in China, Germany and the US over alleged patent infringements by the iPhone maker. In April 2019, the two companies agreed to an out-of-court settlement-but reports claimed that Apple paid Qualcomm up to $6 billion to se...