Apple wants a candidate to work with 3GPP's RAN WG1.

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

June 7, 2017

2 Min Read
Apple Looking for 5G Voice in Standards Body

As 5G networks appear on the horizon, Apple is looking for a candidate who can represent the vendor in a major radio group at the 3GPP, the industry body that is creating the next-generation wireless standard and more.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is currently advertising for a WiSE -- Sr. Wireless Standardization Engineer -- RAN1 to work with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN WG1). The vendor is calling for someone who is "fluent in cellular communication standards such as 5G NR, LTE and UMTS/CDMA."

Apple describes the job thusly:

  • As a Senior Wireless Standardization Engineer, the candidate will be responsible for representing Apple Inc. in wireless communication standard bodies, and drive Apple’s strategic interest in those organizations. With the exciting opportunity to create innovations that benefit Apple’s product lines and enrich company’s IP portfolio, he/she will be working with a fast-paced team in driving Apple’s global standardization activities in areas covering radio interfaces, protocols and signaling, system architectures, security, and end-to-end services.

The first 5G New Radio (NR) specification is due in December and will use LTE as the control plane for 5G, setting up, managing and ending sessions. Standalone 5G NR, meanwhile, could be baked by mid-2018. (See 3GPP Approves Plans to Fast Track 5G NR.)

Want to know more about 5G? Check out our dedicated 5G content channel here on Light Reading.

Indeed, Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) is already saying that the very first 5G smartphones will arrive in mid-2019. (See Qualcomm: First 5G Smartphones Coming Mid-2019.)

The 3GPP-focused position is the latest sign that Apple is gearing up for 5G. Apple is looking to test 5G frequencies in California soon and has been quietly hiring next-gen wireless talent for more than a year. (See Apple Looking to Cook 5G Test Devices , Apple Seeds 5G? Seeks 'Multi-Gigabit' Chip Designer and Apple Quietly Hiring for 5G?)

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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