In a new job listing, spotted by MacRumors, the company this week set out to find a “6G Cellular Modem Systems Engineer,” based in either San Diego or Sunnyvale, California. The role carries a brief to “Define & architect system-level features and requirements for next-generation cellular modems, with a focus on 6G evolution and advanced PHY/L1 capabilities.” Base pay is in the range $175,000-$308,500, so get your applications in soon.
Apple is well aware that its job listings are scrutinised eagerly for evidence of upcoming product development, so this posting is significant in what it tells us about the company’s progress and how willing it is for this to be publicised. But it’s been planning for the launch of 6G for some time. A similar, albeit slightly more subtle, listing was spotted way back in 2021, only a year after the iPhone gained support for 5G. That post sought “wireless system research engineers for current and next-generation networks” and then mentioned lower down that the next-generation networks in question were, obviously, 6G.
The progression from research engineers to a systems engineer (the new listing mentions the word research only once, in the context of past experience) may reflect the 6G project’s changing priorities and increasing focus on practical applications. But 6G remains a long way from launch; 6G networks are currently expected to appear in the early 2030s. In other words, the first Apple device to support 6G is likely to be at least the iPhone 22 Pro… or maybe the iPhone Duo 5.
