Qualcomm to open R&D center in South Korea
By Phil Goldstein
Qualcomm will launch a research and development facility in South Korea to work on next generation mobile chip technology, striving to forge ahead in a country where it was stung by antitrust regulators last year. The company also is going invest around $4 million in local chip maker Pulsus Technologies.
Qualcomm said it will open the R&D center with the cooperation of the South Korean government, researchers and academics, but it did not provide details on the amount it would invest in the facility. The company will be working on new mobile communication technologies, including mobile applications and multimedia, at the facility. The chip maker has a similar R&D plant in China.
The investment in the country is not entirely a surprise. Last spring, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said the company was looking at potential investments in South Korean wireless and health care companies. However, the investment is a visible signal that the company is looking to continue to expand its presence in the country months after antitrust regulators at the South Korean Fair Trade Commission fined Qualcomm $208 million for engaging in "unfair" business practices related to its chipset sales.
Last week, Qualcomm posted revenues of $2.67 billion for its fiscal first quarter, up 6 percent year-over-year and down 1 percent sequentially. The company's stock took a hit though after Qualcomm lowered it fiscal year revenue expectations due to what it said was tightened competition and economic struggles in Europe and Japan.[FierceWireless]
Qualcomm Announces Aggressive Plans for LTE
By Lynnette Luna
Qualcomm has issued an aggressive timeline for releasing engineering samples of its LTE/HSPA+ device modem. It is trying for the second quarter of 2009. The company, however, cautioned commercial availability of of the MDM9000 "still depends on a number of very uncertain factors, many of which are dependent on mobile network operators' plans and investment priorities about how and when to roll out this next stage of wireless technology," said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and general manager for Qualcomm Europe, speaking at the company's inaugural European Innovation Summit last week.
Salvatori noted many uncertainties exist concerning the timelines for HSPA+, "almost all of which are pretty much out of our control." While the LTE standard is close to finalization, there still is uncertainty about in which spectrum ranges LTE would be deployed. Salvatori said decisions still have to be made on network topology. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
Qualcomm To Marry Satellite, Cellular Chips
By Rhonda Wickham
Qualcomm is teaming up with SkyTerra’s Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and ICO Global Communications to integrate satellite communications into mass-market cellular handsets.
Under the agreement, Qualcomm will integrate satellite and cellular communication technology by developing a satellite protocol and including it in the firmware of select Qualcomm multimode baseband chips. Qualcomm also plans to support the L- and S-Band frequencies, in which MSV and ICO operate, in select RF processors.
In essence, the same mobile chipsets at the heart of wireless devices will let handset makers produce satellite-capable devices at comparable scale and cost.
Satellite phones have long been around serving largely niche markets but have failed to achieve a large market following due to the high cost of handsets and airtime.
According to the participants, this combined chip will allow satellite communications to achieve economies of scale that it has not previously been able to tap into. It also will enable hybrid services and lead to new uses of the mobile satellite bands.
The new chips are expected to be available beginning in 2010. [WirelessWeek]
Qualcomm Working on Android Platform
By Sue Marek
Qualcomm confirmed that it is working on a mobile phone platform that will be based on the Android operating system. During an analyst conference in San Diego last week, Qualcomm executives said that the company anticipates a large number of Android phones will run on Qualcomm platforms.
Qualcomm is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, which promotes the Android platform. In addition, Qualcomm and several other manufacturers exhibited Android-based prototypes or proof-of-concept devices at the annual Mobile World Congress industry conference in Barcelona last February. [FierceWireless]
Qualcomm Adds Some Flash to BREW
Qualcomm and Adobe Systems announced they will integrate Adobe Flash technology into the BREW Client software in an attempt to bridge the gap separating the mobile application and web content development communities, promising developers a more robust environment to create Flash-based apps and services for mobile devices.
According to Qualcomm, the new BREW Mobile Platform will extend the BREW Client services and API with expanded platform capabilities, multimedia and content support, access to device databases, connectivity support and touchscreen user interface development. The platform, open to developers, operators and handset manufacturers alike, promises to improve efficiency across the developmental process, including tooling, content distribution and consumption.
"There should be seamless integration for developers," said Qualcomm senior vice president of engineering Steve Sprigg at last week's BREW 2008 event in San Diego, adding the platform is in large part a response to feedback from the developer community.
Anup Murarka, director of technical marketing for Adobe's mobile and devices business unit, said a central goal of the BREW Mobile Platform is expanding the development community by facilitating publication of Flash-based applications. "We want to broaden opportunities across the entire ecosystem," he said. To that end, both Qualcomm and Adobe will provide tools for BREW Mobile Platform--for native application developers, Qualcomm will provide integrated support for the Eclipse and Visual Studio Integrated Development Environments, while Flash designers and developers can use existing Adobe development tools like Adobe Flash CS3 Professional and Adobe Device Central CS3.
The BREW Mobile Platform extends Qualcomm's longstanding partnership with Adobe--most recently, Qualcomm signed on to join Adobe's Open Screen Project, which brings together players throughout the mobile value chain to develop solutions for delivering rich web and video devices across the fragmented device landscape. The Open Screen Project promises to make the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime consistent across mobile devices, desktop computers and set-top boxes, complementing BREW Mobile Platform by bolstering developers and content companies' efforts to simplify and streamline the user experience.
"[Qualcomm and Adobe] have a number of common customers and a shared vision," Sprigg said. "We want to incorporate the kinds of advanced features we've previously seen in smartphones into mass-market devices."
Also noteworthy: The BREW Mobile Platform is fully backward-compatible with applications developed for previous editions of the BREW Client, enabling customers to exploit the new capabilities while still supporting existing BREW applications.
Qualcomm said it will release chipsets featuring the BREW Mobile Platform this fall, with plans to debut a common runtime environment by mid-2009. "We see this [partnership with Adobe] as a continuum," Sprigg said. "We have a very good roadmap for where we're headed in the future." [FierceDeveloper]
Cargo Container Security: It’s Not “One Size Fits All”
Tracking of cargo containers and their contents from departure to delivery has clear benefits for the industrial and transportation sectors: increased visibility and security of goods in transit. A further potential benefit – greater public safety and security – is a subject of debate. But it is frequently true that combinations of the three available tracking technologies, rather than any one in isolation, promise the maximum value for investment.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), cellular data communications and satellite communications can all be applied to container tracking and security. Each has its pros and cons, and currently there is no one technology or business model that will be entirely cost-effective or sufficient for all container tracking and security.
According to ABI Research director Michael Liard, “Choosing container tracking technologies is all about finding a balance between the cost of each individual method versus the value it can deliver. In many cases a smart combination of technologies will provide greater value than the sum of its parts. Potential users today are searching for that optimum tradeoff.”
For instance:
- RFID offers low overall costs (but expensive infrastructure). It stores data, but provides near real-time feedback only when passing through interrogation zones.
- Cellular communications carry moderate costs and offer real-time updates (where cellular service exists), but service fees are high.
- Satellite communications also offer real-time data nearly anywhere, but costs are high, and metallic environments can cause problems.
In a real-world example of such integration, RFID tags from Savi Technologies, attached to containers, are read by Qualcomm's global positioning satellite network, enhancing total asset visibility coverage and real-time data transmission capabilities.
Converged solutions such as this are currently being trialed and tested, but actual deployments are still few and far between.
Liard adds, “A key challenge is that there are still too few government security mandates on container tracking. The security aspects of container tracking are the hardest to quantify, but mandates do help drive markets, and they can help provide some guidance around technology selection.” [ABI Research]
Qualcomm Reveals LTE Chip Plans
Qualcomm announced plans to ship its first multi-mode Long Term Evolution (LTE) chipsets in the second quarter of 2009, expanding both its device and base-station chipset roadmaps to include LTE and three multi-mode mobile data modem chipsets to enable UMTS and CDMA2000 operators to upgrade to LTE and have backward compatibility to their existing 3G networks.
Qualcomm said the chipsets will support both FDD and TDD duplex modes and will support peak data rates of up to 50 Mbps on the downlink and 25 Mbps on the uplink.
Qualcomm also announced that Hutchison 3G, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and Telstra have all agreed to trial the chip maker's HSPA+ chipsets later this year. The operators will use Qualcomm's MDM8200 chipset, which includes 64-QAM HSDPA for 21Mbps downlink data rates and 2x2 downlink MIMO for 28 Mbps downlink data rates. The expectation is that the high speed technology will be available as early as 2009. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
LG’s Sprint Xohm WiMAX Smart Phone
Could this be the first smart phone for Sprint's Xohm WiMAX system? This sleek, Windows Mobile device -- about the size and shape of LG's Prada fashion phone -- could very easily run both Sprint's WiMAX and CDMA EVDO systems in tandem.
The Windows Mobile 6 smart phone is based on a Qualcomm MSM7200 chipset (which typically has a 400 Mhz processor) and has 128 MB RAM. It's running Windows Mobile 6 Professional, with a 320x240 touch screen. The LG rep promised "seamless handoff" between CDMA or GSM and WiMAX. Needless to say, this isn't on any Sprint roadmap that's been made public.
Sprint’s Barry West told investors at a Clearwire demonstration today that the company’s Xohm network, based on 802.16e-2005 (Mobile WiMAX), is averaging 3-5 Mbps performance in the downlink and 1-2 Mbps in the uplink. He further reiterated that the company expects to offer commercial services of Xohm in three initial US markets — Baltimore, Washington DC, and Chicago — during the second quarter of 2008.
While the current brand new high-technology smartphone from LG Mobile, the LG-KS20 is now available in major European countries. The latest High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) smartphone, the LG-KS20 launched on November 2007. The phone’s full touchscreen gives it unparalleled usability and a top download speed of HSDPA 3.6 Mbps enables to an enriched internet experience.
Pursuing high technology along with LG ‘Viewty’ Phone (LG-KU990), LG-KS20 is expected to be the first product strategically launched from the line of the next generation High Technology Category products.
Compatible with highly advanced HSDPA networks, LG-KS20 allows users to enjoy the full benefits of 3.6Mbps high speed mobile internet, including downloading of music, video clips and Windows Live content, as well as push e-mail. HSDPA technologies receive data at 3.6Mbps, which is the speed of over 7 times faster than the widely-used WCDMA phones.
The phone is also equipped with a host of other advanced features such as WiFi connectivity, natural handwriting recognition, 128MB internal memory, Micro SD external memory and Bluetooth 2.0, and is powered by the Windows Mobile 6.
A Poor Market Outlook for Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB)
The prospects for widespread adoption of Qualcomm’s flagship 4G technology UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) are dim, according to a new study from ABI Research. But Qualcomm’s intellectual property portfolio is strong in key enabling technologies for 4G, and the company faces no real threat to its long-term future even without successful UMB network rollouts.
The technology is expected to be commercially available by mid-2009, but, says senior analyst Nadine Manjaro, “No operator has yet announced plans to trial or deploy UMB. Several of the major CDMA operators in the two primary markets are migrating to other technologies.
Vendors cannot move forward with development unless their customers commit to trial this technology. WiMAX and LTE have ecosystems in place that offer support. LTE, which is expected to be available around 2010, already has operator commitment from Vodafone and Verizon. WiMAX has implemented many trials, and has over fifty commercial deployments underway.”
ABI Research believes Qualcomm’s biggest potential market for UMB is in Asia, but many operators there are considering WiMAX or are still focused on 3G. So UMB is unlikely to make much progress or significant revenue there.
However Qualcomm has diversified its product portfolio by acquiring companies with OFDMA and MIMO patents (Flarion, for example) and has also developed chipsets for W-CDMA/HSPA technology. It will continue to be a strong industry player without UMB.
“While Qualcomm has made many significant contributions to mobile communications,” concludes Manjaro, “in this case we just have to be realistic. Vendors need to step up and say that they aren’t going to invest any more resources in developing this technology, since there is virtually no demand for it.” [ABI Research]
Qualcomm Launches New Product: MobileView
Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the commercial availability of the MobileView product. MobileView is a software application that remotely captures diagnostic data with GPS from mobile handsets, providing insight into handset and network performance. MobileView is currently in trials with CDMA2000 and WCDMA (UMTS) network operators worldwide, including T-Mobile Germany.
"The need to ensure that our networks have the best quality is very important to T-Mobile," said Peter Smolka, head of measurement systems radio coverage, T-Mobile Germany. "Remote diagnostics is a positive evolution for network optimization."
"Remotely collecting performance data from opt-in users is the next trend in handset testing and network optimization," said Tia Cassett, senior director of business development at Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. "By collecting diagnostic data directly from handsets, MobileView delivers a thorough reporting of mobile and network performance. This enables device manufacturers to improve their time to market by identifying issues earlier. Network operators can also use it as a tool to keep their networks optimized and running efficiently."
The performance data that MobileView provides can help provide a more efficient and cost-effective way to proactively identify problems in areas not typically covered by drive testing. Drive testing is typically limited to major roads and freeways, while MobileView captures information throughout the network, including in residential and indoor settings. [WirelessIQ]
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