If true this is really bad news.

There are 4 companies in the world that make 5G modems:

Qualcomm.
Samsung.
Mediatek.
Huawei.

That’s truly unfortunate that this modem quagmire on iPhone will continue to persist, even after Apple gobbled up what started it in Intel’s modem unit.

I have no idea, but I suspect the hard thing about making a modern modem is not so much making it, but making it without infringing on a bunch of patents and copyrights.