ibc, good post, but I'd like to address one thing...
From everything I've read, QCOM is way ahead on this front.
This is absolutely true today, but XMM 7260 looks EXTREMELY competitive. If Intel can get this IN THE HANDS OF CONSUMERS by 1H 2014, it will actually have a lead on Qualcomm in a number of key ways (i.e. 300Mbps support). Of course, if XMM 7260 really rolls out during 2H 2014, it contends with MDM9x35 and Intel loses all competitive advantages.