United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has obtained orders for 5-band 10-mode LTE chips based on a 28nm process from Qualcomm, with shipments to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to industry sources.

The 28nm 4G LTE chips are to be used for the production of iPhone 6 devices, indicating that UMC is expected to continue to receive more follow-up orders from Qualcomm later, said the sources.

UMC plans to ramp up the production of its 28nm wafers to 20,000 units a month by the end of 2014, mainly to meet rising demand from Qualcomm and MediaTek, the sources noted.

Meanwhile, due to increasing orders for its 0.11-, 0.13- and 0.18-micron processes, UMC will also ramp up the production of 8-inch wafers at Hejiang Technology, UMC's subsidiary in China, to 60,000 units a month shortly, compared to 50,000 units currently.