Passing regulators is a rare victory for Qualcomm, which has been buffeted by antitrust fines around the globe and a bitter legal battle with Apple over its licensing fees. It is also trying to withstand a hostile takeover attempt by rival Broadcom. Last year, the company rejected Broadcom's $105 billion bid as well as the 11 directors that Broadcom nominated to take over Qualcomm's board. The company's message to investors to recent weeks has been that Qualcomm can thrive without Broadcom. Qualcomm has been trumpeting the potential windfall from 5G wireless technology and the company's growth prospects in hot new markets like connected cars and the Internet of Things. Steve Mollenkopf, chief executive of Qualcomm, said in a recent investor presentation that the firm would deliver between $6.75 and $7.50 per share in profit next year. He said that the NXP acquisition would account for around a fifth of these profits.