Qualcomm’s traditional seat of power in the cellular modem may be under threat from attacks on its licensing models, but the company has been preparing for years for the possible decline of its traditional businesses, by expanding its products and its patents into new areas. One of these has been the RF front end, first with its own RF360 offering, and then with a joint venture with Japan’s TDK. Although this was announced a year ago, it has not yet been completed, but CEO Steve Mollenkopf said on the company’s results calls that it was expected to close by April. This venture, he said, would “transform us from a strong niche player to a formidable challenger with all the necessary…