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3G/WCDMA on the up and up: reports GSA
http://www.the3gportal.com/3gpnews/archives/007452.html
June 27, 2005
A new survey by GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) confirms that the number of 3G/WCDMA networks delivering commercial services has now reached 74 in 34 countries worldwide, an increase of 14 networks in the first half of 2005. A further 6 networks are at the pre-commercial stage.
GSA also reports that the number of subscribers to WCDMA services accelerated to 26.48 million globally by end May 2005, an increase of 10 million so far in 2005. WCDMA networks globally added over 2 million customers in each of the last 3 months. WCDMA take-up is faster than GSM was at the same stage of its introduction.
Subscriber growth is driven by a wider range of competitive service offerings, more variety of terminals in the market, and maturing technology.
GSA's related survey of WCDMA devices identifies a total of 179 device models in the market from 26 suppliers, including 71 products introduced so far this year. The survey confirms that the number of WCDMA devices launched has quadrupled over the past 12 months. HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) PC datacards and handsets are included. A growing number and approaching three quarters (132) of WCDMA device models are designed for use on WCDMA networks globally, with the remainder (47) for use on the NTT DoCoMo FOMA service in Japan. The survey identifies some new FOMA devices that are also compatible with WCDMA/GSM/GPRS networks worldwide.
Visit Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSAcom.com)
Qualcomm’s New Era Begins
20th Anniversary Bash Heralds July 1 Jacobs Family Transition
By BRAD GRAVES
San Diego Business Journal Staff
http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=74891019.2387301.1161017.6081926.8322638.600&aID2=89300
Paul Jacobs isn’t afraid of a little humor at his own expense.
Looking back to the day the board of Qualcomm Inc. named him chief executive of his father’s telecommunications company, Jacobs offered several hundred people at a recent San Diego Telecom Council gathering his most vivid memory of that meeting.
The board had just made its decision. One of the directors, retired Air Force Gen. Brent Scowcroft, who had been a counselor to U.S. presidents, approached the youthful looking Jacobs, patted him on the back and softly delivered four words.
“Don’t screw this up.”
The way Jacobs tells it, the line was delivered lightly — but with a little bit of a sting. Jacobs put a flabbergasted look on his face, and he drew a laugh out of his audience.
July 1 is the day Jacobs takes over as chief executive of Qualcomm. He succeeds his father, Irwin M. Jacobs, who will remain chairman of the board.
The father-to-son transition may be more typical for a small family outfit. It is unusual for a publicly traded U.S. company, an enterprise that occupies No. 398 on the Fortune 500 list, has close to 9,000 employees, and brought in $4.9 billion in revenue during its 2004 fiscal year.
But the Qualcomm board insisted in March, when the transition was announced, that Paul Jacobs is the right fit. And now Jacobs says he’s ready.
“I’m so psyched about my job,” the younger Jacobs, 42, told the gathering. “The company’s got an incredibly good strategic position. We’ve got to execute on it.”
Jacobs showed a similar exuberance at Qualcomm’s 20th anniversary celebration June 21 at the company’s namesake stadium in Mission Valley.
The playing field of the stadium looked like a giant club, with several thousand employees and their guests seated around banquet tables. Mushroom-capped gas heaters were stationed at intervals to warm the crowd, and an elaborate stage supported the San Diego Symphony.
Paul Jacobs said the company grew with the help of people and “idears,” pronouncing “idea” with a nod toward his father’s East Coast accent.
“We are just getting started here,” Jacobs told the several thousand employees in attendance. “There are so many possibilities ahead of us.”
This is a very emotional evening,” said 71-year-old Irwin Jacobs, telling his employees it was the last event where he would preside as chief executive.
Entertainment for the evening ranged from the symphony and the San Diego Children’s Choir to Natalie Cole. Cole’s concert, however, didn’t begin until the younger Jacobs lit off a round of fireworks.
Like his father, the younger Jacobs has a doctorate in electrical engineering — though his is from UC Berkeley, while his father’s is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The younger Jacobs has been with Qualcomm for 15 years.
His early work focused on speech compression techniques for Qualcomm’s signature technology, Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA. In 1995, he was appointed to run the company’s handset and integrated circuit division. Under his leadership, the company’s consumer products segment worked on phones incorporating the Palm operating system and global-positioning technology. He also helped develop BREW software technology, which allows people to download applications to their phones, and the business model behind BREW.
Again, the younger Jacobs wasn’t shy about telling the Telecom Council about some trial and error.
Jacobs said he had wanted a catchy name for the software — maybe something that had overtones of magic. His original name for the technology was Q-Wiz (“kind of like Cheez Whiz,” he said). But then, he said, he started thinking along the lines of what witches have in their kettles, and he proposed BREW.
The software developers who were with Jacobs laughed. They were thinking along the lines of beer.
But they had hit on something short and catchy, and the name stuck. “I don’t think BREW would have been successful had it been Q-Wiz,” Jacobs said.
Part of his preparation for the CEO’s job, Jacobs said, has been a round of visits with Qualcomm customers. “We had a worry at one point that we were perceived negatively in the market,” he said, adding that the point of his visits was to listen and emphasize partnership.
Qualcomm makes cell phone microchips, licenses intellectual property related to cell phones and provides a line of other telecommunications products and services.
The company’s most recent earnings forecast is for fiscal 2005 revenue in the range of $5.5 billion to $5.7 billion. The company will likely update that forecast July 20 when it releases quarterly earnings.
July 1 marks another transition at the company: President Tony Thornley, 59, will retire and make way for 43-year-old Steve Altman, who is a Qualcomm executive vice president and president of Qualcomm Technology Licensing.
What's brewing?
Thomas K. Thomas
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2005/06/27/stories/2005062700030100.htm
Plenty, on the BREW platform. And Indian software developers are fighting for space on the mobile phone screen with exciting ideas and services — for both Indian and global users.
AL Hartley, creator of the comic character Archies, could never have imagined this in his lifetime — that his creation would one day leap out of the comic book into a mobile handset.
Thanks to some innovation by a new breed of aggressive Indian mobile application developers, this, and much more, is being made possible.
Exponential growth in cellular telephony is silently brewing up yet another success story for India.
Latching on to the mega-buck opportunity are Indian software developers who are taking on the likes of global corporations such as ATI, Jamdat Mobile and Gameloft. These software developers are creating exciting applications for not just Indian mobile users but also for those in Europe and America.
"We are very happy with the developers in India and we would like to tap the software skills available to develop applications not just for the Indian operators but also for other markets,'' affirms Peggy Johnson, President, Qualcomm Internet Services.
Peggy, who is responsible for promoting value-added services on the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, is eyeing India as one of Qualcomm's major hubs to develop mobile applications using the BREW platform.
BREW is a Qualcomm-promoted platform that enables application developers, publishers, content providers and device manufacturers to build applications for mobile devices.
Plenty BREWing
Ten Indian developers have already started using the BREW platform and have come out with some interesting applications converting the mundane mobile phone used for voice calls into a computing device that gives you applications for entertainment, business and leisure.
Take, for instance, the Delhi-based Phoneytunes.com, which has pulled out six new applications within just a few months of joining the BREW platform.
One of them, called the Bartender, brings 1,500 cocktail recipes on your mobile phone. It also allows users to create their own drink — and comes with a graphic presentation of the cocktail with the alcohol percentage — for the benefit of discerning users.
"We are conceiving and developing cutting-edge fun and entertainment solutions and delivery systems for mobile platforms to include imaging, music and games, using enhanced data service capabilities on mobile devices for both the GSM and the CDMA platform," says Taron Mohan, promoter, Phoneytunes.com.
The company has applications running on international operators such as SingTel, Orange, Mobitel and Grameen Phone. It is also developing applications for 3G services and has tie-ups with the likes of Sony, HMV, Virgin and BMG for music-related applications.
Phonetunes.com was among the six Indian developers who had showcased their products at the recently-concluded BREW Conference 2005 in San Diego, US.
`Own your idea'
"Indian software capability is globally renowned, so it is not surprising that companies like Qualcomm are looking at India as a hub for mobile applications development.
But the key difference here is that now Indian developers are innovating and creating applications on their own rather than developing a product at the request of a client. These new breed of developers own the IPR for the applications that they develop rather than working on someone else's idea," says a market analyst.
Agrees Nitish Mittersain, promoter of the Mumbai-based Nazara Technologies, which could well have Hartley turning over in his grave.
Nazara, which had signed an exclusive deal with Archies Comics early this year, is now pushing through with its concept of `branded mobile applications' to operators in North America and the UK.
Nazara has licensed out both Indian and global brands such as Sachin Tendulkar, Colin Jackson, Stardust magazine and Diamond Comics and has created content based on these brands.
So, for instance, you can play games with Chacha Chaudhary — India's oldest comic character — or you can read the latest comic strip featuring Betty and Veronica on your handset.
The company has also taken the rights to some Hollywood brands such as the Robert Rodriguez movie Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D to offer ring tones, games, wallpapers and video clips.
"Brands sell. And we want to capitalise on the popularity of a brand by developing content for mobile users. For instance, we get $1 per download of a wallpaper, which is among the most popular features in the US market," says a company executive.
Nazara has lined up more than 400 games and over 1,000 wallpapers, ring tones, logos for release shortly.
Another company that has established itself deeply in the Indian applications market is the Indore-based Webdunia.com, which has created a niche in developing applications in local languages.
"Webdunia bridges the gap between the latest technology-based mobile applications development and low-level programming aspects of mobile technologies, optimising resources as well as reducing development cost," says Pankaj Jain, Chief Technical Officer, Webdunia.
The company has launched wireless applications on the hand-held Blackberry device, which offers the full suite of Enterprise-based applications on a thin client. It also has Reliance Infocomm and Idea cellular as its clients.
For the international market, Webdunia is betting on its domain knowledge in working in various languages to localise content.
Ride the wave
So why is there a sudden surge in mobile application development? The reasons are very clear. With tariffs for mobile phone calls coming down drastically, mobile operators are looking at making up the loss in revenue by offering value-added services.
At present, data services, dominated by short messaging, account for about 15-20 per cent of the operators' revenues.
Analysts predict that value-added services will account for nearly 50 per cent of operators' revenues within the next few years, making data services and applications in entertainment and gaming a key churner of money.
To be sure, application developers are not sticking to any particular technology.
From BREW to Java to Linux, Indian developers are making sure they don't miss the mobile wave. Applications developers in Japan, Korea and Europe are already making big bucks as mobile operators compete with each other in search of that `killer' application after SMS.
Indian developers have joined in the search.
Though Indian developers were not in the reckoning for the `best developer award' at this year's BREW Conference, companies like Phoneytunes and Nazara claim that it's only early days.
They will soon have that elusive killer application up their sleeve that could be beyond our imagination — and maybe bring Al Hartley back to life!
tkt@thehindu.co.in
Something brew-ing
LI WEITAO
2005-06-27 06:56
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/27/content_454787.htm
When Steve Altman joined CDMA technology pioneer Qualcomm in 1989, CDMA seemed to be an unproven technology.
"We were excited about CDMA," says Altman, who has been working at US-based Qualcomm for 16 years.
"But many people didn't believe CDMA would work. And we had a difficult time."
Altman has been elected president of Qualcomm. He assumes the post on July 1.
Now, CDMA is a viable technology. It is now the second-most popular mobile technology in the world.
The runaway success of CDMA, and Qualcomm, is largely due to years of heavy investments in research and development (R&D) and a well-horned IP (intellectual property) strategy.
Altman has been the chief architect of Qualcomm's strategy for leveraging its broad intellectual property portfolio.
QUALCOMM holds more than 3,000 US patents and patent applications for CDMA and other technologies.
And the firm earns money from each CDMA-based terminal or equipment in the world, whatever the makers are.
CDMA is the basis for all 3G (third-generation) mobile communications standards. That could ensure Qualcomm continues to profit from the telecoms industry.
Qualcomm's licensing and royalty fees increased 30 per cent, to US$516 million, in the year's second quarter.
Altman has served as executive vice-president, general counsel and president of Qualcomm Technology Licensing.
Under his leadership, Qualcomm inked more than 125 licensing agreements with the world's largest telecoms and electronics companies.
"I have been involved in almost all business transactions (relating with licensing agreements) in the past 16 years," Altman said.
Patent licensing has become a unique business model for Qualcomm.
The firm's licensing and royalties fees last year accounted for 24 per cent of its total revenues.
Now, Qualcomm is writing the success story for BREW, an application-development platform.
The BREW platform, created by Qualcomm, enables application developers, publishers, content providers, device manufacturers, operators and customers to build applications for mobile devices.
BREW publishers and developers have earned more than US$350 million from the sales of BREW applications and services by the end of May since its launching.
That compares with more than US$240 million registered at the end of last October.
Helped by BREW, "by providing the tools and resources necessary for the development and delivery of wireless content, publishers and developers can concentrate on what they do best creating compelling, fun and useful applications, which translate directly into revenue gains for the mobile marketplace value chain," says Peggy Johnson, president of Qualcomm Internet Services (QIS).
Qualcomm generates revenues from the rapidly growing BREW business by licensing the platform to developers.
Qualcomm's executives declined to offer details about the licensing arrangements.
The firm has yet to make a profit from BREW. And the QIS division, responsible for Qualcomm's BREW solution and Eudora e-mail client, contributed only 12 per cent to Qualcomm's revenues last year.
But the BREW platform is set to become a success.
"We made a significant investment in BREW," said Bob Briggs, vice-president of global business relations and operations at QIS.
"We do have the objective to make profits (from it)."
He did not offer a time frame.
Now, 45 mobile operators in 24 countries are offering, commercially, BREW services.
Altman sees BREW as the next big thing for Qualcomm.
The firm will push BREW hard, to "enable our partners to succeed in the wireless industry," he said.
BREW wins
BREW mainly competes with the J2ME (Java2 Mobile Edition) platform.
Technically, BREW supports mobile phones better than Java, and BREW can enable developers to build better applications.
Another major advantage of BREW is it is the only wireless-data platform available on low-cost handsets.
But BREW was not created to just compete with Java.
Behind the strong push of BREW is Qualcomm's desire to drive up its chip sales.
"We will focus hard on the chip business," Altman said.
Qualcomm's chip business contributed 64 per cent to its total revenues last year.
The trend is software is becoming more and more important than hardware, therefore BREW is helping Qualcomm's chips become more appealing.
With the increasing popularity of BREW, many other chip makers will also be forced to enable their chips to support the platform.
That means chip makers will also pay patent fees to Qualcomm.
Beyond CDMA
Qualcomm's big ambition for BREW does not stop there.
BREW was designed to support CDMA technology. But now Qualcomm is also pushing it into the GSM's space, and in non-brew devices.
GSM is the world's most-popular 2G (second-generation) mobile communications standard in the world, competing with CDMA.
BREW now supports WCDMA, a 3G mobile technology that has evolved from GSM.
That could potentially boost Qualcomm's WCDMA chip sales.
"We expect to do well in the WCDMA chip business," Altman said.
Qualcomm earlier this month introduced a new content delivery system Delivery One.
The new system enables the downloading of non-BREW content, especially Java applications.
That will enable WCDMA network operators to adopt BREW without having to sacrifice popular content and applications.
(China Daily 06/27/2005 page7
Qualcomm-Nokia License Talks May Lead To Public Battle Courtesy of gutboy09 from Yahoo Qcom Board:
http://finance.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=4686818&tid=qcom&sid=468....
Qualcomm-Nokia License Talks May Lead To Public Battle
06.15.05, 10:43 AM ET
Bear Stearns expects Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ) to report fiscal third-quarter earnings per share at the high end of its original guidance range of 24 cents to 26 cents. Bear Stearns also said initial guidance for fiscal second-quarter CDMA handset sales (which affect third-quarter profit and loss) of 40 million to 42 million "was too low based on global CDMA/WCDMA handset trends." However Qualcomm's third-quarter CDMA handset sales are tracking up about 4% to 5% quarter over quarter; Bear Stearns had been estimating 11% quarter-over-quarter growth. The firm said that the fiscal fourth-quarter consensus estimate for earnings of 31 cents per share on revenue of $1.521 billion "could be slightly aggressive," citing its own estimate for earnings of 28 cents per share on revenue of $1.447 billion. Bear Stearns said, "Based on anticipated delays with Cingular's 3G rollout and China 3G license issuance, we lowered our WCDMA net add estimate for 2006 significantly, offset by a less-pronounced decline in handset average selling prices (we expected the U.S. to drive down average selling prices sharply)." The firm's fiscal 2006 earnings estimate for Qualcomm remains at $1.46 per share, but has "little room for upside." Bear Stearns said, "We believe Qualcomm's licensing agreement with Nokia (nyse: NOK - news - people ) is set to be renewed in late-2006/early-2007--while discussions are likely taking place, we believe this could be a very public battle. We will not attempt to predict outcomes, but this could create near-term headline risk for Qualcomm."
Leap posts profit, gain in revenue
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20050615-9999-1b15leap.html
By Kathryn Balint
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 15, 2005
With customers paying more for cell phone service and extra features, Leap Wireless International yesterday reported its first profit since emerging from bankruptcy last August.
First-quarter net income was $12.6 million, or 21 cents per share, which contrasts with a net loss of $28 million, or 48 cents a share, for the same period in 2004, the company said.
Leap, a San Diego company that provides cell phone service under the brand name Cricket, had revenue of $228 million for the quarter ended March 31, a 10 percent increase from $207 million a year ago.
Doug Hutcheson, Leap's president and chief executive, said the company has strengthened its management team, improved customer satisfaction and introduced a new marketing campaign in the past quarter.
"The company had a strong first quarter and continues to make good progress in building a bright future," he told investors in a conference call.
The company said its subscribers are paying more for cell phone service and additional features. The average revenue per cell phone user increased to $39.03 a month in the first quarter from $37.45 a month a year ago, Leap said. The company also said it is selling more-expensive phones to its subscribers.
Hutcheson said Leap aspires to be the "high-value, low-cost leader in the wireless industry."
Leap, which ended the first quarter with 1.6 million customers, provides cell phone service in 39 markets in 20 states. It added 46,000 net new customers in the first quarter.
The company lowered its expectations for customer additions for 2005, estimating that it will add 125,000 to 200,000 net customers for the year instead of the 150,000 to 200,000 previously estimated. Leap executives said the company's newest features, such as downloads of games, may take longer to attract customers than originally anticipated.
Leap said it expects revenue for the year to be between $890 million and $950 million.
The company has acquired wireless licenses and plans to spend $20 million to $25 million this year to expand into Fresno.
Shares in Leap, a spinoff of San Diego wireless technology giant Qualcomm, soared to $102 a share in March 2000. But two years ago, its stock traded for less than $2 a share.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2003 and was relieved of $2 billion in debt. Its shares were rendered worthless. Upon emerging from bankruptcy, Leap issued new stock.
Leap announced its earnings after the close of the market. Shares of Leap closed at $27.78, up 13 cents, on the over-the-counter bulletin board.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathryn Balint: (619) 293-2848; kathryn.balint@uniontrib.com
Breaking News:Finland to adopt mobile broadband
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 Posted: 8:19 AM EDT (1219 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/06/15/finland.mobile.reut/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Finland will select a new wireless network technology from the United States next week in a move being watched by other European governments that are opening radio spectrum for mobile broadband Internet.
For detail please see above link.
Finland's mobile licensing to set trend in Europe
Tue Jun 14, 2005 3:40 PM BST
By Tarmo Virki and Lucas van Grinsven
http://today.reuters.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-06-14T144050Z_01....
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland will select a new wireless network technology from the United States next week in a move being watched by other European governments that are opening radio spectrum for mobile broadband Internet.
Finland was the place where the European-invented Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) first went on the air in 1991, setting off a revolution in mobile communications. But this time around there is no European technology alternative.
Seven consortiums have put in bids for the 450 Megahertz (MHz) radio spectrum that was left unused after operator Sonera shut down an analogue mobile network in 2002, and all seven have proposed U.S.-made wireless network technology to cover even remote areas with fast Web access.
Two groups propose to use the CDMA technology that is already used for mobile phone networks in the Americas and parts of Asia, while five others have announced they would use the new and partly unproven Flash-OFDM technology from unlisted Flarion.
If Finland opts for CDMA, this would create a stronghold for the technology as neighbouring Sweden and Norway have in the past year issued 450 MHz licences to Nordisk Mobiltelefon which uses CDMA (code division multiple access).
"What goes on in the Nordics is watched around the world and what happens here has credibility far beyond the number of inhabitants," said David Poticny, head of European operations of Lucent Technologies, which makes CDMA equipment.
Austria, Ireland, Britain and France will also award 450 MHz licences in the near future. Germany has already awarded two licences, but has yet to decide on the technology it will use.
"CDMA is the dark horse in Europe," said Copenhagen-based mobile telecoms consultant John Strand.
"But there are two things that are very important for new mobile phone networks: interoperability and who has the cheapest handsets and the most choice, and CDMA will lose that battle against current 3G in Europe," Strand added.
In Brazil, CDMA has lost market share against GSM for the last three years, because customers can get cheaper handsets and have more choice with the latter technology, Strand said.
This is not a concern for Flash-OFDM, as it does not compete for mobile callers.
CDMA technology was invented by San Diego-based Qualcomm and the company delivers virtually all of the chips needed in CDMA networks and mobile phones used by some 500 million consumers. Flash-OFDM is used for fast Internet access on computers, and is only now getting out of the test phase.
AFTER FINLAND
A win in Finland could set Flarion UP for life. It is hoping that its rival's CDMA technology will lose out because it is not a dedicated wireless Internet technology.
"GSM was highly successful because it took a popular service, voice telephony, and made it mobile. Now, we're doing the same thing with broadband Internet," said Joe Barrett, marketing director for Europe at Flarion.
Politically, CDMA is at a disadvantage because it is a proprietary technology from a fierce competitor to the country's leading technology firm, Nokia.
Flarion has tried to pre-empt concerns about the proprietariness of its technology, saying it will enter Flash-OFDM into the standardisation process to allow everyone to license it at fair and reasonable terms.
Technologically, CDMA offers yet another mixed voice and data network rather than a radically new network optimised for fast mobile Internet.
"Offering voice services will not be forbidden, but the main issue here is fast data transfer," said Antti Kohtala, an official at the Finnish communications ministry.
CDMA claims download speeds that enable decent quality video, while Flash-OFDM should be about twice or three times as fast and even better performing near the edge of the radio cell.
Operators using CDMA see the cost of the network at some 60-100 million euros, while peers that have opted for Flash-OFDM expect investment to be roughly half of that due to less costly equipment and as they can use the existing Internet backbone.
UTAC CEO bullish on company, industry growth
Jonathan Hopfner
EE Times
(06/14/2005 12:11 PM EDT)
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=164302973
SINGAPORE — United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC) Ltd. is confident of strong growth in 2005 and subsequent years on the back of favorable market conditions and the company's blossoming network of alliances in China, UTAC Group President and CEO JC Lee said in an interview.
Lee said Tuesday (June 14) that the test and assembly solutions provider was likely to meet revenue targets of $300 million this year, up from just over $246 million last year, after registering 74.5 percent growth year-on-year last quarter. It also expects strong performance across the wider semiconductor sector.
UTAC's clients include Infineon, Qualcomm and Hynix Semiconductor.
"People forecasted that 2005 is going to be a relatively flat year, but they seem to be getting more bullish, and the industry is adjusting to the positive side," Lee said. "A lot of inventory issues have been corrected over the last six months and from our customers' side orders have picked up quite healthily from the end of March."
Lee added that companies "are keeping their inventory quite low, the industry has not added a lot of excess capacity and I think people are more prudent as far as investment concerned, which is a good sign."
UTAC is also relying on its "twin growth engine" of cultivating its memory and logic capabilities to distinguish itself from its competitors, Lee said.
"On the memory side we're continuously moving into the higher-end; in DDR-2, mobile RAM and so on, we have a wide customer base that is serving us very well. On the logic and wireless sides, we also participate in the market, in things like wireless broadband and WiMAX," he said.
The company has also been working aggressively to boost its presence in China. Last month, it teamed up with China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) to open a joint IC packaging and test facility in Chengdu, and in April signed a contract with nine Chinese fabless companies to become their preferred turnkey test and assembly provider.
Lee said the moves were part of UTAC's effort "to position ourselves in a high-growth sector."
"China is definitely an important base in the years to come," he added. "Up until now most semiconductor products in China are imported, but we can see that they're trying to add local content, and the number of foundries is going up, so they need the back-end work, and that's where we come in."
"The fabless companies in China [are] going to catch on to the design part of the product," he added. "They still have some way to go, but the learning curve will be shorter."
Irwin Lim, UTAC's group vice president for corporate services, confirmed that the listing of the company's joint venture with SMIC was in the pipeline, but said it was unlikely to happen in the short term.
"The plan is for in three to four years," he said. "As for which market to [make the initial public offering] in, it depends on which is attractive at the time. It could be Singapore, it could be Hong Kong."
CEO Lee said UTAC would continue to review its technology strategy on a quarterly basis to keep abreast of changes in the market, and would actively seek complimentary alliances with other companies.
"The industry is definitely going through a lot of consolidation, and I think companies would like to find ways to leverage on each other's strengths so we don't do over-ordering or have excess capacity and compete with each other unnecessarily," he said. "In certain parts of the business model it makes sense to cooperate."
Qualcomm "overweight", target price $48.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 7:01:05 AM ET
Prudential Financial
http://www.newratings.com/analyst_news/article_870558.html
NEW YORK, June 14 (newratings.com) - Analyst Inder Singh of Prudential Financial maintains his "overweight" rating on Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.NAS). The target price is set to $48.
In a research note published yesterday, the analyst mentions that LG and Samsung are entering the Japanese WCDMA market through contract gains from NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone. The analyst expects Qualcomm to supply chipsets to LG and Samsung for their WCDMA handsets, gaining exposure to the Japanese market. According to Prudential Financial, the company has attractive growth opportunities in the international market.
NTT DoCoMo and LG Electronics to Jointly Develop 3G FOMA handset
By Aki Tsukioka, JCNN
June 13, 2005
http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=10296
Tokyo (JCNN) - NTT DoCoMo (TSE: 9437) and LG Electronics of Korea announced on June 13 that they have reached a basic agreement to jointly develop a dual-mode 3G FOMA handset that works on both W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS networks.
The new dual-mode handset will support international roaming and feature all basic FOMA functions, including videophone and i-mode mobile Internet access.
The Japanese and Korean partners are aiming for commercialization in spring 2006.
Sprint inches toward DO launch
By Dan Meyer
Jun 13, 2005
http://rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=23025
Sprint Corp.'s planned launch of CDMA2000 1x EV-DO-based high-speed wireless data services continues to inch ahead as the carrier has released preliminary coverage maps on the section of its Web site aimed at business users. The maps, which a Sprint spokeswoman noted are preliminary and are still being adjusted, show varying degrees of future EV-DO coverage across many of its major markets.
Sprint announced earlier this year that it planned to have EV-DO service available in 39 "metro areas," including 140 strategic markets covering 129 million potential customers by the end of June. Sprint added that it planned to cover most of its network by the end of 2006. The carrier's Web site claims the EV-DO network will cover 60 metro areas by early next year encompassing more than 200 urban and strategic suburban markets and covering 150 million pops.
continued below
Analysts noted the carrier has been trialing services with real customers in Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; and Des Moines, Iowa, and that those trials were in the final adjustment phases. Sprint's Web site also includes the 57 other metro areas the carrier plans to cover by early next year.
Sprint noted on its Web site that it expects the EV-DO service to provide average network speeds of between 300 kilobits per second and 500 kbps with peak speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second.
Sprint's EV-DO network launch is expected initially to target business customers using PC cards, with Sprint having already launched an EV-DO network card earlier this year. Sprint noted earlier this year that it also plans to have four Asian-sourced EV-DO handsets in support of the launch and expects to announce at least one device as early as this week.
Sprint's EV-DO launch is also expected to be a boon for its mobile virtual network operator partners, many of which have said they plan to provide content optimized for higher-speed wireless networks.
Verizon Wireless currently offers EV-DO services in 32 markets with plans to cover two-third of its network by the end of this year. The carrier offers a trio of handsets for the service as well as its consumer-oriented Vcast offering, and has a deal with MVNO partner Amp'd Mobile Inc. that will rely heavily on the higher-speed network capabilities.
Sprint said earlier this year that it's also planning to deploy higher-speed EV-DO Rev A technology beginning in late 2006 or early 2007. The Rev A network is expected to provide even higher network speeds and should enable the carrier to support Voice over Internet Protocol-based traffic that will enable its ReadyLink push-to-talk service to provide performance similar to Nextel Communications Inc.'s Direct Connect service
DoCoMo Focuses on China to Develop Future Cell Phone Technology
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=a1lEnkAS9Uzo
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- NTT DoCoMo Inc., the world's second- largest cell-phone operator, will invest more than $2.5 million a year to develop high-speed, fourth-generation mobile communication technology in China, a company executive said.
Tokyo-based DoCoMo is already researching a faster technology for the market, even though China has yet to award licenses for third-generation service to cell phone operators. The service allows faster downloads of data and images from the Internet.
``China is the world's largest mobile phone market,'' Masahiro Minomo, head of NTT DoCoMo's research center in Beijing, said in an interview. ``We hope to contribute to China's standardization of 4G and `beyond 3G' technology.''
DoCoMo, which is catching up with smaller rival KDDI Corp. in Japan's high-speed mobile phone subscriber market, plans to use the Beijing center to help develop ``future technology'' for its global operations, Minomo, 51, said. The company expects to have fourth-generation technology ready in five years, with wide availability of the technology coming in 10 years, he said.
Next year, China is expected to grant licenses for 3G service that transmits data at speeds of up to 384 kilobits per second.
``A 4G system can transmit data at speeds between 100 megabits and 1 gigabit per second,'' Minomo said. At 1 gigabit, a 4G standard could stream data up to 3,000 times faster than the leading-edge technology that China is about to license, he said.
China has 353.7 million cell phone users, accounting for about a quarter of its population, according to a May 23 report on the Ministry of Information Industry's Web site. While the country is focusing on 3G, its telecommunication operators have set up the China Communications Standards Association to look into a 4G or an enhanced 3G standard, Minomo said.
Technology Transfer
``Our Beijing lab will help establish NTT DoCoMo's future collaboration with China,'' he said. ``If some superior research is done in our lab, we would transfer it back to Japan.''
DoCoMo lags behind in the high-speed market in Japan with 12.9 million users, compared with 18.5 million for KDDI. Japan has about a fifth of the world's 156 million 3G users, according to 3Gtoday.com, an Internet site operated by Qualcomm Inc.
DoCoMo has research centers in Japan, the U.S. and Germany that focus on future technologies.
``Beijing's lab plays a very important role for DoCoMo,'' Minomo said. ``It is the only lab where we focus on nothing but this future technology, 4G, and even technology beyond 4G.''
Shares of DoCoMo, which have fallen 13 percent this year compared with a 0.2 percent gain in the benchmark Topix index, rose 2,000 yen to 164,000 yen as of 11 a.m. in Tokyo. KDDI rose 2,000 yen to 502,000 yen.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Allen T. Cheng in Beijing at Acheng13@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 13, 2005 22:52 EDT
Qualcomm buys 10 patents for wireless broadcast
By Mike Dano
Jun 13, 2005
http://rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=23002
Qualcomm Inc. acquired 10 patents covering a wireless broadcasting technology that allows operators to send bursts of content to select groups of subscribers. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Qualcomm scored the patents through an acquisition of the assets of Vail, Colo.-based Vesuvius Inc. The firm was an intellectual property holding company run by four executives. The company owned 10 patents covering what it called narrowcasting/multicasting technology.
A Qualcomm spokesman declined to offer details on the acquisition, including what the company would do with the technology. Qualcomm is in the process of building its MediaFLO mobile TV network, which it has described as using multicasting technology.
George Kauss, one of the former Vesuvius executives, said the company's technology would allow wireless carriers to broadcast content to a select group of subscribers based on demographics or geography. For example, he said, carriers could target residents of Chinatown in San Francisco or Harley Davidson enthusiasts and send them content including alerts or streaming video.
"You are now able to target delivery," he said.
Kauss and two other former Vesuvius executives today announced they formed a new company called Vulano Group Inc. The company will develop patents in the wireless, enterprise and consumer software markets.
Intel Raises Its 2Q Revenue Forecast
Friday June 10, 7:26 am ET
By Matthew Fordahl, AP Technology Writer
Intel Boosts 2nd-Quarter Revenue Forecast on Better-Than-Expected Demand for Chips
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050610/intel_outlook.html?.v=5
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Buoyed by stronger-than-expected demand for the chips in notebook computers, Intel Corp. boosted its second-quarter revenue forecast in the latest sign that the semiconductor industry is gaining strength.
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Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company, said Thursday it expects sales to be between $9.1 billion and $9.3 billion for the period ending July 2. That's an improvement from its April prediction of between $8.6 billion and $9.2 billion.
"Demand feels pretty good right now," said Andy Bryant, Intel's chief financial officer. "It's pretty simple."
Analysts said the positive update was expected, and the stock already reflected it.
"The midquarter update is largely, in my opinion, irrelevant for the stock," said Apjit Walia, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. "What really matters is what it does next (in the third quarter). That trend is what will dictate the stock's fortunes."
Wall Street was expecting sales of about $8.99 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial. Though Intel does not provide earnings guidance, analysts estimate a profit of 28 cents per share for the second quarter.
Intel reported earnings of 27 cents a share in the same period last year.
The strength in notebook chip sales isn't a surprise. Earlier this month, the research firm Current Analysis said notebook sales outpaced desktop computer sales in May for the first time in the United States.
Intel has been focusing on improving the performance and battery life notebook PCs since 2003, when it launched its Centrino brand that features a processor, chipset and wireless capability all tuned for mobile use.
Intel isn't the only chip maker to boost its guidance.
On Tuesday, Texas Instruments Inc. raised its second-quarter earnings guidance and narrowed its revenue outlook, citing higher demand for semiconductors and educational calculators.
A day later, the Semiconductor Industry Association boosted its forecast from flat to 6 percent growth in 2005, pointing to stronger demand for personal computers, cellular phones, digital televisions and digital cameras
"Our cautious forecast issued in November of 2004 was based on concerns that high energy prices and lingering excess inventories in a few segments of the industry would dampen sales in 2005," said SIA President George Scalise. "Those fears have not materialized."
Chip makers, including Intel, did briefly suffer from excess inventory in 2004, but the industry quickly recovered. The amount never exceeded $1.5 billion, Scalise said.
That compares with 2000, when semiconductor companies reported $15 billion in excess inventory that took until 2003 to work down, he added.
"Everyone has talked about the industry making a comeback, but I never really thought it was down to begin with," said Stephen Leeb of Leeb Capital Management. "There were certainly inventory issues. But, you had an absolutely blockbuster 2003 and in 2004 you saw reasonable growth -- if that's bad, then we'll take it."
In recent weeks, Intel has launched a number of new chips that it hopes will further drive growth and announced that it would supply microprocessors for Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers starting in the middle of next year.
The announcements likely had little or no impact on the current quarter, but they do suggest the company has maneuvered past the uncertainties of 2004, when it suffered a series of product delays, misfires and cancellations.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs pointed specifically to Intel's future plans as the reason for the switch from Mac chips built by Freescale Semiconductor Inc. and International Business Machines Corp.
Intel also has undergone an executive shuffle as Paul Otellini became chief executive, replacing Craig Barrett who took over as chairman. The changes, which also saw former CEO Andy Grove move to an advisory position, took effect May 18.
Intel investor relations: http://www.intc.com
One out of four 3G phones in Europe is LG-made: IDC report 6/10/2005 1:53:41 PM IST
http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/news.asp?dat=60333
According to a report on Europe’s mobile phone market during the 1st quarter of 2005 released by International Data Corporation, a world-famous market research agency, LG Electronics sold one million units in Europe’s WCDMA mobile handset market, catching the No.1 market share position with 25.5 %.
Europe’s WCDMA market size was estimated at 8.1mn units last year, and rapid growth is expected with 22 million units forecasted. As such, it is the world’s largest WCDMA handset market.
Outpacing other world-leading handset makers, LG Electronics’ rise to the No.1 position was primarily due to the company’s development and application of cutting-edge technologies in digital appliances and WCDMA mobile phones to ensure video telephony, stable communication quality, long battery life, compact size and refined design. This, along with several other features, has allowed the organization to differentiate its products from those of its competitors.
LG Electronics was selected last year as the WCDMA phone supplier to the largest US mobile operator, Cingular Wireless of North America. This event made LG Electronics the first Korean-based mobile phone supplier to achieve such a goal. With this in mind, LG Electronics plans to supply handsets with innovative designs and multimedia features to the North America market during the commercial launching of WCDMA service due in the second half of this year.
Park Mun-hwa, President, Mobile Communication Company, LG Electronics, said, “LG Electronics last year supplied approximately 4 million units globally, becoming the frontrunner in the WCDMA mobile phone sector, and we have since been continuing to grow.” He added, “Based on our leadership in the WCDMA market, we will boost penetration into GSM/GPRS/EDGE markets, and spur efforts to develop 3.5G HSDPA mobile handsets, thus putting LG Electronics’ handsets as a premium brand in place in the next-generation mobile phone market.”
Chip industry gets its groove back
Major companies raise their forecasts as people buy more notebooks, mobile phones
By Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service
June 10, 2005
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/06/10/HNchipindustrygroove_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.....
The global semiconductor industry appears to be well on the mend after several months in the doldrums, with some major companies raising their forecasts for the current quarter, mainly because people are buying more notebook computers and mobile phones.
Over the past few days, chip heavyweights Intel (Profile, Products, Articles), Texas Instruments (Profile, Products, Articles), and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. have all said business is better than they thought it would be during the current quarter.
The revisions show growing confidence that the chip industry will be healthier than expected this year, and that the IT sector overall should remain strong. For users, a better year for the industry could mean shortages of some components, but it should also mean that vendors will have enough confidence and cash to bring out new technologies.
"This upswing isn't just a few companies. I think across the board, chip makers are seeing an upturn in production momentum," said Kishore Suratkal, head of regional technology coverage at Macquarie Securities in Hong Kong. He added DVD recorders to the list of electronics people are buying.
The global chip industry should hit record sales of $226 billion in 2005, up six percent from last year, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Wednesday. That's a lot more optimistic than the organization's previous forecast, which called for almost no growth for chips this year.
"Our cautious forecast issued in November of 2004 was based on concerns that high energy prices and lingering excess (chip) inventories in a few segments of the industry would dampen sales in 2005. Those fears have not materialized, and economic growth, especially in the U.S., has remained strong," George Scalise, the president of SIA, said in a statement.
Mobile gear such as handsets, along with wireless-enabled notebook computers and consumer electronics including DVD recorders, are behind stronger demand, Suratkal said.
Mobile phone chip giant Texas Instruments kicked off the spate of revisions early in the week by slightly raising its revenue expectations to between $3.12 billion and $3.24 billion, from an earlier prediction of $3.0 billion to $3.24 billion, thanks to growing demand across a broad range of its semiconductor products as well as growth in educational calculators, the company said.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, on Thursday raised its revenue forecast for the second quarter due to strong demand for laptop computers. The company said sales could reach between $9.1 billion and $9.3 billion for its fiscal quarter ending July 2, up from a previous forecast of $8.6 billion to $9.2 billion.
But the stronger sales have come at a cost to some consumers. Some Intel chip sets, the pair of chips inside a PC that regulate the flow of data between the central processor and other vital chips, have been in short supply due to the spike in demand, the company said.
TSMC (Profile, Products, Articles), considered a bellwether for the global electronics industry due to the wide range of products its chips go into, also on Thursday raised its forecast for second quarter chip shipments. The world's biggest contract chip maker noted that strong demand from its customers indicated the chip inventory glut has been cleared.
The chip industry went into a downturn in the middle of last year amid a glut, after companies built up chip stocks on hopes for strong consumer demand that did not materialize. So far, the opposite has been true this year, with demand outpacing expectations, leading to sales and forecast revisions.
Delta Telecom and Lucent Technologies to Enhance and Expand CDMA450 Network in St. Petersburg with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Technology
Wednesday June 8, 9:00 am ET
Network to Support Mobile Data Services at Speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per Second; Delta Telecom to Deploy Lucent's S-DHLR, a Next-Generation Subscriber Data Management Solution
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050608/85052.html?.v=1
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 2005-- Delta Telecom, a mobile operator in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, and Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU - News) today announced plans to expand Delta Telecom's Sky Link-branded CDMA450 network, and enhance the network to support CDMA2000® 1xEV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) technology. The EV-DO network will enable Delta Telecom to provide its Sky Link subscribers in St. Petersburg with new, high-speed mobile data services such as complete mobile office capabilities, high-quality video-on-demand and other high-bandwidth services at speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second - more than 15 times faster than what's currently available.
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The project, which the companies plan to complete by the end of 2005, includes increasing the capacity and coverage of the CDMA450 network in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. It also includes the deployment of the Bell Labs-developed Lucent Super-Distributed Home Location Register (S-DHLR), a key element of Lucent's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution from its Accelerate(TM) Next Generation Communications Solutions portfolio.
"We see that the market is ripe to adopt the new, innovative services that will be enabled by Lucent's solutions," said Gennady Golant, general director, Delta Telecom. "With Lucent's EV-DO solutions, we will be able to deliver complete mobile office capabilities and ensure high-speed access to the complete range of applications and information resources that our corporate customers currently access via fixed networks, while maintaining the same high levels of reliability and security."
As part of the project, Lucent will install additional Flexent® CDMA450 base stations and a new Mobile Switching Center (MSC), provide its S-DHLR and enhance existing Lucent CDMA450 base stations to support EV-DO technology. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide its expertise to ensure a smooth network deployment including installation support, network integration, and training and support services.
"Our work with Sky Link in St. Petersburg represents a technological breakthrough in terms of delivering a whole suite of new capabilities and services," said Dmitry Kamensky, general director, Lucent Technologies in Russia and CIS. "Our long-term partnership with Sky Link helps us to find the best solutions to help Sky Link meet the demands of its subscribers and succeed in this highly competitive mobile market."
The Lucent S-DHLR is an advanced customer information data server that enables the creation of a single subscriber profile for each customer and all of the services they use, in contrast to the traditional method of maintaining individual subscriber databases for each service. It also provides support for a wide variety of voice and data services on mobile, wireline and converged networks. Delta Telecom's migration from a traditional Home Location Register (HLR) to the new Lucent S-DHLR will reduce the complexity of managing subscriber data, make it easier to offer their subscribers customized service bundles and provide a consistent look and feel for subscribers' services even when roaming across multiple network types such as GSM, W-CDMA/UMTS, WiFi and wireline networks or onto another operator's network.
Lucent's Network Solutions Group is dedicated to helping wireline, mobile and converged service providers capture the market opportunities being created by the growing demand for blended lifestyle services. A global leader in the development of commercial 3G spread-spectrum solutions, Lucent's Network Solutions Group has deployed CDMA2000, CDMA450, and W-CDMA/UMTS networks with more than 35 customers on the continents of North and South America, Asia, Europe and in the Australia/New Zealand region. Lucent has deployed more than 120,000 spread-spectrum base stations for mobile operators worldwide, of which 70,000 are already supporting 3G services.
About the companies
ZAO Sky Link was established in June 2003 to consolidate regional NMT-450 operators and to implement a federal cellular communications network based on CDMA2000 technology for the 450MHz frequency band. CDMA450 networks under the Sky Link trademark are now deployed in 19 regions of the Russian Federation. The project licensing territory covers 65 regions with a population of 104 million that represents 72 percent of the total Russian population. ZAO Sky Link is a member of International 450 Association (IA-450) since 2003. For further information on the company, please visit: www.skylink.ru.
Delta Telecom (Sky Link operator in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region) was established in 1991 and the first cellular operator in Russia. At the end of 2002, Delta Telecom was the first to deploy advanced CDMA2000 1X technology in 450 MHz spectrum and offer its subscribers advanced digital voice and high-speed mobile data services such as Internet access and video applications at speeds of up to 153 kilobits per second with the highest level of security against unauthorized access. For more information on the company, please visit: http://www.spb.skylink.ru
Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.
In Russia and CIS, Lucent Technologies offers its solutions to carriers, ISPs, and business customers. For more information on Lucent Technologies in Russia and CIS, visit its Russian Web site at http://www.lucent.ru.
CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Lucent Technologies - Russia
Elena Shugaley, +7 812 329 85 02
+7 812 329 85 10 (fax)
eshugal@lucent.com
or
Lucent Technologies - U.S.
Ichiro Kawasaki, 973-386-3479
973-477-4793 (mobile)
kawasaki@lucent.com
or
Sky Link (St. Petersburg)
Kirill Voloshin, +7 812 715 1103
kvoloshin@deltatel.ru
or
ZAO Sky Link
Olga Pestereva, +7 095 746 2646
+7 095 245 5190 (fax)
o.pestereva@skylink.ru
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Lucent Technologies
QUALCOMM Announces Next-Generation FleetAdvisor(R) Management Solution
Wednesday June 8, 7:30 am ET
- Concurrent Release of Versions 6.2 and 6.2.3 Offer Significantly Increased Functionality for Private Fleet Management -
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050608/law056.html?.v=13
SAN DIEGO, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News), the leading provider of wireless data solutions, today announced the commercial launch of versions 6.2 and 6.2.3 of its industry-leading FleetAdvisor fleet management solution for the private fleet market. Both systems provide customers with a near real-time connection between their back office -- including management, dispatchers and customer service representatives -- and their vehicles and drivers, with version 6.2.3 designed with features necessary for larger customer fleet operations. FleetAdvisor 6.2 and 6.2.3 support full-function, on-board computing and applications, including automated Department of Transportation-compliant logs; automated arrival and departure alerts; and automated state mileage and GIS mapping. FleetAdvisor and other on-board applications run on the MVPc® in-vehicle computer, which uses the Windows® CE platform. FleetAdvisor also works with other QUALCOMM systems, including the OmniTRACS® and OmniExpress® mobile communications systems.
"FleetAdvisor 6.2 and 6.2.3 support QUALCOMM's efforts to provide enterprise-wide benefits to companies with private fleets," said Joan Waltman, president of QUALCOMM Wireless Business Solutions. "Both solutions are designed to help our customers -- whether operating large or small fleets -- extend supply-chain management, automate regulatory compliance, reduce the operational costs of their fleets, and significantly increase revenue and productivity."
FleetAdvisor 6.2 provides customers with:
* Support for 802.11b WLAN communications
* The ability to export FleetAdvisor report data for use by other
applications such as Excel
* Primary client applications can now be converted from client-server to
browser-based applications using Internet Explorer
* A new host application that allows customers to quickly find the
status of deliveries in response to customer inquiries
* MVPc message light activated upon receipt of a FleetAdvisor message
* Support for "batch" mode communications using the OmniExpress system
(upload/download data to/from the mobile at start and end of day)
* Filtering logic has been added that minimizes false TrailerTRACS
connects/disconnects displayed to the driver
* GUI improvements to the TrackingAdvisor mapping application
* Enhanced mobile software to support the grocery and liquid gas
markets, allowing drivers to service multiple, adjacent stops without
moving the vehicle
* Enhanced APIs that allow external third-party applications to
accomplish route pre-assignment(s) for a driver
* Enhanced debugging tools used by customers and support personnel for
diagnosing system problems
* Support for the French language added to support customer vehicles
that operate in Canada
FleetAdvisor version 6.2.3 is an extension of version 6.2 that includes additional features that increase product scalability and reliability necessary for larger customer fleet operations. These enhancements include:
* Integration with RI/AS400 Server
* Support for the Windows 2003 Server operating system
* Support for running in a server cluster using Microsoft Cluster
Service (MSCS) within the Windows 2003 Server environment
* Scalability and performance enhancements that optimize messaging and
response time performance for fleet sizes in excess of 6,000 vehicles
and 8,000 drivers
QUALCOMM has helped the transportation industry become more efficient since 1988 when the introduction of the OmniTRACS solution provided transportation companies with an innovative and effective way of managing logistics. Today QUALCOMM is the industry's global leader in providing high-value wireless data solutions with Network Operations Centers that process more than nine million transactions each day. QUALCOMM has shipped more than 590,000 QUALCOMM mobile systems to businesses in 39 countries on four continents.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2005 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the extent and speed to which FleetAdvisor products are deployed, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 26, 2004, and most recent Form 10-Q.
QUALCOMM, FleetAdvisor, OmniTRACS, OmniExpress and TrailerTRACS are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
QUALCOMM Contacts:
Kate Himot, QUALCOMM Wireless Business Solutions
Phone: 1-858-651-6457
Email: khimot@qualcomm.com
or
Emily Gin, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-651-4084
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
or
Bill Davidson, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-651-5417
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: QUALCOMM Incorporated
Sold-Out BREW 2005 Conference Highlights Growth of BREW(R) Community, Expansion of Wireless Data Product Portfolio
Wednesday June 8, 7:30 am ET
- More than 2,200 Industry Professionals in Attendance for Fifth Annual BREW Conference -
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050608/law062.html?.v=13
SAN DIEGO, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced the close of its successful BREW 2005 Conference, held June 1 - 3 in San Diego. This year's conference delivered on its theme, "BREW for More," as more than 2,200 members of the BREW community gathered from around the world at the sold-out show to collaborate, network and form strategic relationships with leading operators, handset manufacturers, publishers, developers and technology providers in the mobile marketplace.
"The success of this year's conference highlights the impact the BREW solution is having on every player in the mobile industry. More and more operators, handset manufacturers, publishers and developers are leveraging new technologies and product offerings to differentiate themselves in this space," said Peggy Johnson, president of QUALCOMM Internet Services. "From the impressive line-up of speakers and presentations to the overwhelming number of applicants for the BREW 2005 Developer Awards, it's clear that the BREW community is harnessing the power of the BREW solution to propel the wireless industry forward."
Speaker Highlights
The BREW 2005 Conference featured nearly 100 speakers, who focused on the global BREW community's advancements and opportunities in the areas of mobile gaming, customizable user interfaces, location-based services, multimedia, mobile messaging, business applications and a host of other segments. In Johnson's welcome remarks to conference attendees, she emphasized QUALCOMM's commitment to delivering more value, innovation, support, flexibility and revenue to the BREW community and the explosive growth of new areas such as mobile gaming and customization through QUALCOMM's uiOne(TM) solution.
This year's keynote addresses included "BREW for More. BREW for You" by Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, CEO-elect for QUALCOMM. In his keynote address, Dr. Jacobs discussed the ubiquity of feature-rich devices and tasked publishers and developers with the creation and delivery of BREW content that will drive the industry forward.
"Mobile phones are turning out to be the all-in-one devices people carry with them all the time in large part because of the creative applications and services being delivered by BREW publishers and developers," said Dr. Jacobs. "The future holds an amazing amount of promise for us all. QUALCOMM promises you, the BREW community, the resources you need to be successful, and we're counting on you to deliver the next great BREW applications."
Additional speakers and topics included:
* Makoto Takahashi, vice president and general manager for KDDI
Corporation, on "KDDI Content and Business Strategy"
* Manish Jha, senior vice president for ESPN Mobile, on "Why Sports Fans
will Drive Adoption of Wireless Data"
* John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon
Wireless, on "Get It Now!® (WOW!)"
* Don McGuire, chief marketing officer for Amp'd Mobile, on "Developing
Breakthrough Content for Amp'd Mobile"
* Ian Clarke, head of group devices and president of Asia Pacific for
O2, on "Device DNA -- the core of a great customer experience"
* John Batter, vice president and general manager for EA Mobile, on "Why
Mobile Matters"
"The BREW platform will be central to our expansion into new markets. It will also be central to our ability to leverage and take advantage of new technologies," said Stratton. "Most important, the creative energy, power and skill amongst BREW publishers and developers are absolutely critical to our success moving forward."
"We love BREW. Its open platform allows Amp'd Mobile the flexibility to provide endless customization and personalization options that our customers want and need," said McGuire. "Through the BREW solution, we have the opportunity to realize our goal of becoming the first mobile entertainment company targeted for the youth market."
"It is about a brand and individualization, and being able to keep that brand and individualization across the devices we sell," said Clarke. "From a consumer point of view it is about that consistency of experience in a changing world and that's where we see BREW uiOne coming into play for us within our own branded device portfolio."
Conference Announcements
Key QUALCOMM and industry announcements included:
* BREW publishers and developers have earned more than $350 million to
date from the sale of wireless applications and services developed for
the BREW solution. (see separate release)
* A global distribution agreement with ELATA to launch the
deliveryOne(TM) Content System for operators, providing a
full-featured device and content agnostic delivery platform for
wireless content. (see separate release)
* Electronic Arts, the world's leading independent publisher and
developers of interactive entertainment software, announced an
agreement to become a publisher of wireless games developed for
QUALCOMM's BREW solution. (see separate release)
* Macromedia, a leading software company empowering business users,
developers and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling
and memorable experiences, announced an agreement to develop
commercial Flash-based services for the U.S. market using the BREW
solution. (see separate release)
QUALCOMM's BREW solution is designed to meet the distinct and varied needs of wireless operators, handset manufacturers, publishers, developers and end users around the world. BREW products and services include: an open, extensible client platform that supports robust systems and application software including personalized and branded user interfaces for mass market devices; a J2EE(TM)-based, modular delivery system that enables the distribution of content, applications and user interfaces to wireless devices across all air interfaces; a dedicated professional services team that supports the integration of customized implementations; and the wireless industry's first global marketplace to support the monetization of applications and services developed in all programming languages. The BREW solution can make the wireless visions of innovative companies a reality.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2005 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the extent and speed to which the BREW solution is adopted and deployed, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 26, 2004, and most recent Form 10-Q.
QUALCOMM and BREW are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. uiOne and deliveryOne are trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
QUALCOMM Contacts:
Michele Bakic, QUALCOMM Internet Services
Phone: 1-858-651-4017
Email: mbakic@qualcomm.com
or
Emily Gin Kilpatrick, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-651-4084
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
or
Bill Davidson, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
Qualcomm 'Uniquely Positioned' For 3G Growth
06.06.05, 2:43 PM ET
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/06/06/0606automarketscan15.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=
Goldman Sachs initiated coverage of Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ) with an "in line" rating, saying the stock is most feasible for long-term holders. "For long-term holders, we expect strong upside as Qualcomm benefits from 2006-2007 3G ramp. . .upside beyond 10% to 15% in the near term, in our view, would require a resumption of positive 2006 earnings momentum, which we believe is unlikely until mid-2006; our bottom-up carrier analysis suggests near-term W-CDMA adoption data points will be in line with to below expectations, leaving little catalysts for upward revisions. As a result, we believe investors should take a longer-term view to fully capture what could be a 30%-plus move in the shares, rather than try to time the inflection in 3G adoption to the quarter." Goldman estimates fiscal 2005 earnings of $1.11 per share--penny below the Street--on sales of $5.5 billion, a 9.9% growth in sales. Goldman sees Qualcomm's 2006 earnings are seen at $1.44 per share--slightly ahead of analysts--on sales of $6.9 billion, a 24.7% growth in sales. "We differ from consensus on two key issues: our 2005 3G phone forecast is 5 million units below the 50 million consensus, but our 2006 estimate is higher, and we forecast lower near-term margins in Qualcomm's chip business due to competitive pressures." In light of the significance of Qualcomm's intellectual property control in 3G standards, Goldman claims that the company "is a uniquely positioned investment on the growth in 3G wireless," and that Qualcomm is poised to earn a 4.3% royalty for every 3G handset purchased (wholesale price). "As 3G adoption ramps, Qualcomm should capture this royalty stream from an increasing share of the 790 million unit handset market in calendar 2006. In addition, Qualcomm should be able to capitalize on the rollout of 3G as one of the leading suppliers of semiconductor chips and software for handsets. Although Qualcomm currently has a small percentage of the W-CDMA chipset market as a supplier to handset OEMs such as LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sanyo, we believe that its strong wireless R&D effort will allow it to improve its W-CDMA semiconductor market share to 20% by the end of fiscal (September) 2007 (versus our fiscal 2005 estimate of 12%)." As for competition from Nokia (nyse: NOK - news - people ), Goldman does not see it claiming the same market share for 3G as it does 2.5G, but said "the greater risk from Nokia is [its] ability to inflict pricing pressure in the 3G market," hindering Qualcomm's royalty revenue and W-CDMA chip share potential.
Qualcomm Set To Launch Its Mobile Broadcasting Tech In India
by S Karat at 02:04PM (EDT) on June 4, 2005
http://www.contentsutra.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/4/909070.html
Sify.com: The US-based Qualcomm is planning to launch its latest mobile broadcasting technology called FLO (forward link only) and is in talks with Indian mobile operators, including Reliance Infocomm and Tata Teleservices for early deployment. The technology will allow the operators to broadcast TV content on mobile phones.
"We are in talks with Indian CDMA operators and are conducting trials of the FLO technology for the Indian market. We will be partnering with local content providers to put the network in place," said Dr Paul Jacobs, CEO-elect, Qualcomm Inc, on the eve of the BREW Conference here in San Diego.
Qualcomm has formed a subsidiary called Media FLO that will be hived off into a separate company later. FLO technology allows transmission of 50-100 channels, including live streaming of channels and numerous clip cast and audio channels. It offers video at 30 frames per second and high-quality stereo audio. The technology works both in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and CDMA1X EVDO which are essentially the third generation technology being considered by Indian operators.
Also read: Qualcomm's On-demand Media (FLO)w not before 2007 (Voice & Data)
For the Indian market MediaFLO is not making its entry before 2007. However, the US mobile subscribers might be lucky in experiencing almost 100 channels over their handsets by October 2006. In India Qualcomm has conducted trials with the leading CDMA operator and is also in talks with content providers to bring high speed broadcasting to the users.
TV content set to FLO(w) on to mobile handsets
Thomas K. Thomas
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/06/04/stories/2005060402160500.htm
San Diego (US) , June 3
HOW would you like to get your favourite TV channels streaming on your mobile handsets real time? Imagine seeing your favourite serial even as you drive home from office.
In a bid to make this a reality, US-based Qualcomm is planning to launch its latest mobile broadcasting technology called FLO (forward link only) and is in talks with Indian mobile operators, including Reliance Infocomm and Tata Teleservices for early deployment. The technology will allow the operators to broadcast TV content on mobile phones.
"We are in talks with Indian CDMA operators and are conducting trials of the FLO technology for the Indian market. We will be partnering with local content providers to put the network in place," said Dr Paul Jacobs, CEO-elect, Qualcomm Inc, on the eve of the BREW Conference here in San Diego.
The company is rolling out its FLO network in the US by the end of the year. In India, the services are expected to be launched next year. Qualcomm has formed a subsidiary called Media FLO that will be hived off into a separate company later .
FLO technology allows transmission of 50-100 channels, including live streaming of channels and numerous clip cast and audio channels. It offers video at 30 frames per second and high-quality stereo audio. The technology works both in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and CDMA1X EVDO which are essentially the third generation technology being considered by Indian operators. Qualcomm plans to invest close to $800 million over the next 4-5 years on the new technology.
Will Cellcos dump GSM with 3G rollout?
R SRIRAM
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1132114.cms
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, JUNE 04, 2005 12:44:09 AM]
SAN DIEGO: Qualcomm, the San Diego based wireless giant, believes that many Indian cellular operators will dump the global system for mobile communications (GSM) technology and adopt the code division multiple access (CDMA) standard as they start rolling out high margin and exotic third-generation mobile services in the country, CEO-elect Dr Paul Jacobs has said.
The battle between CDMA and GSM, which generated much heated debate and controversy in India when the Reliance group and the Tatas rolled out their CDMA services some time ago, will eventually be resolved in favour of the former as the industry moves onto providing next generation services.
“CDMA is more efficient, cost-effective. It is the best for providing 3G services as many operators in Europe are discovering,” he told a group of Indian reporters on Wednesday in his sprawling office complex in San Diego, California.
Bharti Tele-Ventures, the country’s most valuable domestic phone company, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the state-owned telecom giant, are both believed to have chosen CDMA for their proposed 3G services.
Bharti, Qualcomm officials believe, will use the WCDMA (where W stands for wideband) technology, for its $ 1bn 3G services roll-out.
The 42-year-old Dr Jacobs, who takes over from his father Dr Irwin Jacobs as CEO of the $ 5bn Qualcomm on July 1, believes that the transition from GSM to CDMA for those providing 3G services will happen in different ways in different countries.
“What we are seeing in Europe is that companies are investing in 3G using CDMA, and then migrating other consumers onto it and then reforming their existing spectrum,” he added. The global tussle between CDMA and GSM, he believes, has decisively moved in favour of the former.
Numbers appear to back up his assertion. Qualcomm’s revenues, which rose 27% to $ 4.9bn in ‘04, could soar in the coming years as the company has a stranglehold in the global market for operators using CDMA technology. Its cash and cash equivalents are now about $ 8bn.
Indian operators are not the only ones mulling a shift to CDMA. Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile phone company by subscribers, is accelerating the roll-out of wireless 3G services and so are Verizon and Sprint, two of the largest US operators.
In India, Reliance and the Tata group are the only ones using the CDMA technology with a total subscriber base of more than 10m.
“GSM by definition has to hit the wall. Their volumes are only in the low unit category. Across the world, the revenues from WCDMA handsets are rapidly overtaking GSM/GPRS handsets. There are some applications that GPRS cannot handle such as high-speed graphics and multimedia,” says Jeffrey K Belk, senior vice president, marketing Qualcomm.
Brew now adopted by 50 handsets in China
Saturday, 04 June 2005
http://www.telecomskorea.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2016&Itemid=2
Brew now adopted by 50 handsets in China
“With Brew, it sells.” Mr. Frank Meng, President of Qualcomm China said at the World Handset Forum that mobile TV, 3D game, online RPG and mobile banking services in China were first introduced based on Brew. These days, they are backed up by more than 800 applications and there are more than 200 Brew developers operating in China, he added.
He said that about 50 handset models selling in China adopted Brew and 1.78m people are using them.
Qualcomm said that 32 handset makers and 41 wireless carriers in 24 nations in the world are now supporting Brew. It boasted that worldwide download of Brew application jumped 100m in April 2004 to more than 300m a year later.
By TelecomsKorea.com
Qualcomm's Strong Brew
06.03.05, 11:06 AM ET
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/06/03/0603automarketscan06.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=
Piper Jaffray maintained an "outperform" rating and $50 target price on Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ), saying the stock's current valuation provides an attractive long-term opportunity. "We remain comfortable in our expectations for 3G sell-in and sell-through trends during the second half of 2005 and 2006," Piper said. Qualcomm executives have said the company's initiatives in the BREW mobile platform are starting to generate operating profits. "We were encouraged to learn the industry has earned $350 million in BREW-related revenue since its launch in 2001," Piper said, "and we were impressed to learn that 75% of this amount has been earned in the past six months." Piper said it was impressed with Qualcomm's recent demonstration of BREW for Business, a platform to allow enterprises to deploy enterprise applications to BREW-enabled devices. "We believe this reflects Qualcomm's continued efforts to provide carriers tools with which they can target customer segments," Piper said. The research firm said Verizon Wireless also provided positive data, saying 120 million of its 200 million cumulative BREW application downloads have occurred in the past six months. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications (nyse: VZ - news - people ) and Vodafone (nyse: VOD - news - people ). In the CDMA market, Piper said upside to Qualcomm's recently lowered June and September results is limited. "However, once pockets of WCDMA and CDMA2000 inventory burn off over the next few months, we expect strong growth in Qualcomm's royalty and chipset revenue," the research firm said.
On-demand Media (FLO) not before '07
Qualcomm's spectrum efficient broadcast initiative needs a lot of convincing before carriers and content providers outside the US accept it.
Friday, June 03, 2005
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2005/105060302.asp
SAN DIEGO: While India is wallowing in its direct-to-home (DTH) and cable TV regulations, the world is already looking at bringing television content over mobile phones real time. Though the Qualcomm supported MediaFLO is still a good year and a half away from being commercially launched, it is attracting lot of attention and investments from around the globe.
As for India, MediaFLO is not making an entry before 2007. However, the US mobile subscribers might experience almost 100 channels over their handsets by October 2006. In India, Qualcomm has conducted trials with a leading CDMA operator and is also in talks with content providers to bring high speed broadcasting to the users.
“Outside the US we would be working with partners to launch Media FLO. This includes the Indian market where we are already working with the carriers and the content providers for a viable business model,” said Qualcomm Internet services business development senior director Rob Chandok.
For the American market, Qualcomm is promoting MediaFLO USA. This is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, which would be spun off as an independent company once the investments are recovered.
“For the US market we do not need to convince the carriers. They see it as an ARPU enhancer as part of their data revenue and we are already in talks with them to launch the service. But in other markets like India, lot of convincing is required in terms of returns on investments etc. So these markets may take some more time to be captured,' said Qualcomm Inc. CEO-elect Dr Paul Jacobs.
However, he added that Qualcomm would not become an operator anywhere. “One thing is very clear for Qualcomm - we are not in carrier or operator business. We own spectrum in the US, which makes it easier for us to launch a MediaFLO network here. But in the end it is the mobile operators and content providers who have to reach out to the customer. We would not reach out to the consumers directly,” Jacobs said.
MediaFLO or media forward link only is a combination of the media distribution system and FLO Technology. It aims to address the usability, network capacity, and device constraints typical of video delivery to a mobile handset. For this the mobile networks have to be 3G or EV-DO enabled as the minimum requirement. The media content is picked up from various sources and compressed to fit the mobile handset screen size and also optimally utilizes the network capacity to deliver content to multiple users in real time.
Though the officials claim it to be spectrum efficient technology, the fact remains that in many countries like India spectrum allocation is caught in regulatory hassles and in China 3G licenses are still not in sight. Chipsets for MediaFLO would be available by end of 2005, but issues of spectrum, other than US where Qualcomm owns it, revenue share between carriers and content providers, etc. need to be resolved before consumers are convinced about its usability.
- CyberMedia News
The author was hosted in San Diego by Qualcomm.
Verizon Wireless Says Qualcomm Software Is `Central' to Plans
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conews&tkr=QCOM:US
June 2, 2005 16:38 EDT -- Verizon Wireless, the second largest U.S. cellular-phone carrier, said Qualcomm Inc.'s Brew software is ``central'' to plans to increase sales of games, ring tones and other applications on wireless handsets.
Qualcomm On Track For Long-Term Growth
06.02.05, 11:37 AM ET
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/06/02/0602automarketscan09.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=
Piper Jaffray reiterated an "outperform" rating on Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ) and said valuation remains attractive for shares of the wireless-technology company. "We remain comfortable in our expectations for 3G sell-in and sell-through trends during the second half of 2005 and 2006 and overall strong longer-term growth for Qualcomm," said Piper Jaffray. "As a result, we believe Qualcomm's current valuation provides an attractive long-term opportunity." The research firm said accelerating mobile-data trends bodes well for long-term demand of 3G technologies as well as Qualcomm's high-end chipsets. Piper Jaffray maintained a $50 price target on Qualcomm shares. "We believe Qualcomm deserves to trade at 30 times our fiscal 2006 pro-forma estimate, adjusting for $5 per share in cash, which leads to our $50 price target," it said. "We believe this multiple is reasonable given improving visibility regarding 3G CDMA subscriber growth and Qualcomm's dominant patent portfolio. With the more than 1 billion GSM subscribers on a migration path to CDMA-based technologies over the next decade, we believe Qualcomm could post strong long-term earnings growth." Piper Jaffray also noted that South Korea's Pantech and Japan's Kyocera (nyse: KYO - news - people ) could be set to launch new CDMA handsets. Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications (nyse: VZ - news - people ) and Vodafone (nyse: VOD - news - people ), could help EV-DO growth. "We believe Pantech could launch another EV-DO handset at Verizon through its partnership with UTStarcom (nasdaq: UTSI - news - people ), which we believe will help further stimulate EV-DO uptake at Verizon," said Piper Jaffray. "As Verizon launches EV-DO in new markets, we expect other OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], including Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ), to also launch EV-DO handsets during the second half of 2005."
Qualcomm "outperform"
Thursday, June 02, 2005 9:43:05 AM ET
Piper Jaffray
http://www.newratings.com/analyst_news/article_853544.html
NEW YORK, June 2 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Piper Jaffray maintain their "outperform" rating on Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.NAS). The target price is set to $50.
In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that the demand for the company's high-end chipsets is expected to be boosted in the long-term by the accelerating trends in the mobile data market. Qualcomm is unlikely to post its results ahead of the guidance for the June and September quarters on account of sluggish sales of CDMA handsets, the analysts say. The company possesses an attractive patent portfolio, Piper Jaffray adds
QCOM: To Present At BREW 2005 Conference @ 11:20 ET
Company representatives of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NasdaqNM: QCOM) will be presenting at the BREW 2005 Conference today. The Company's presentation is scheduled to begin at 11:20 ET.
Expected Speaker(s):
Dr. Paul Jacobs, CEO-Elect
Misc Releated Info:
** Original Confirmation
** Conference Information:
BREW 2005 Conference
The event will feature presentations by the senior management of leading companies in the global wireless industry. The conference is an educational and networking forum for BREW publishers, developers, content providers, operators, device manufacturers and technology providers.
Conference Dates: 06/01/2005-06/03/2005
Manchester Grand Hyatt
San Diego, CA
http://brew.qualcomm.com/brew/brew_2005/
News summary for Qualcomm this Morning:
Amp'd Mobile First Brew Operator to Deploy M7 Networks' Mobile Games Community
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 41 minutes ago
Amp'd Mobile today announced it has selected M7 Networks, a leading trusted partner and enabler of advanced wireless services, to create and manage Games Connect, becoming the first BREW® operator to launch M7 Networks' mobile game community using M7's Application Community Platform.
Kyocera Wireless Announces Dorado KX13 Mobile Phone at the BREW 2005 Conference
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - 41 minutes ago
Kyocera Wireless Corp., a leading global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, today unveiled a new wireless phone called the Kyocera Dorado KX13 at the BREW 2005 Conference.
FusionOne to Introduce Multimedia Caller ID Experience for Mobile Phone Users at the BREW 2005 Conference
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
FusionOne, a developer of premium mobile services, today announced it will introduce SeeMeRing, a mobile application developed for QUALCOMM's BREW solution, at the BREW 2005 Conference being held June 1-3 in San Diego.
Moderati Gets Amp'd -- Mobile Entertainment Firm Delivers Ringtone and Wallpaper Catalog to New Youth-Oriented MVNO
[Press Release] Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 26 minutes ago
Mobile entertainment company Moderati announced today it will power the delivery of all ringtones and wallpaper to Amp'd Mobile, the first operator solely using CDMA2000 1xEV-DO for its wireless service launching later this year.
Dot Hill Deploys Agile Product Governance and Compliance for RoHS Compliance
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Agile Software Corporation , a leading provider of product lifecycle management solutions, today announced that Dot Hill Systems Corp., a leader in the innovative design and delivery of storage networking solutions, has deployed Agile Product Governance & Compliance across its enterprise to increase the efficiency and ease of ensuring compliance with the European Union Restriction of Hazardous
Lumitrend Showcases Family of Online Backup Solutions at the BREW 2005 Conference
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Lumitrend, a premier provider of next-generation, easy-to-use mobile applications, today announced it will be exhibiting a suite of applications developed for QUALCOMM's BREW® solution, including CellBackup, CellSynx and Ringvault, at Booth #54 at the BREW 2005 Conference, being held June 1-3 in San Diego.
Phoneytunes Brings Fun and Exciting BREW(R) Applications to Mobile Phones
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Phoneytunes.com, a company focused on bringing exciting and innovative solutions to mobile phone operators, today announced the availability of a variety of new applications developed for QUALCOMM's BREW solution.
McAfee, Inc. and Bitfone Corporation Partner for Over-the-air Mobile Security Protection
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
McAfee Inc., the leader in Intrusion Prevention and Risk Management solutions, and Bitfone Corporation, the pioneer and patent-holder of firmware over-the-air update technology for mobile phones, today announced a partnership to deliver security protection for mobile phones over the air.
EA, Qualcomm Team On Cellphone Games
WebProNews - 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
Look for more of EA's games to begin appearing on cellphones as the company announces a partnership with Qualcomm.
QUALCOMM Provides deliveryOne(TM) Suite of Products Allowing Operators to Easily Implement an Open, Unifying Service
[Press Release] PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance - 2 hours, 11 minutes ago
QUALCOMM Incorporated , pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access digital wireless technology, today announced its deliveryOne suite of products, which includes the Content Delivery System, the BREW Delivery System and uiOne Delivery System.
Lehman Brothers Worldwide Wireless and Wireline Conference
Crowne Plaza Hotel, NY
June 1, 2005, 12:15pm DST
Presentation by Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Chairman and CEO
Webcast Presentation
http://www.qualcomm.com/ir/presentations.html
Zacks.com Announces That Ian Wyatt Highlights the Following Stocks: Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon, and Broadcom
Wednesday June 1, 6:00 am ET
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050601/15286.html?.v=1
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2005--Ian Wyatt, editor of the Growth Report newsletter, and his team believe that now is the perfect time to begin loading up on Qualcomm (Nasdaq:QCOM - News) for the long-term. Also, read about Sprint (NYSE:FON - News), Verizon (NYSE:VZ - News) and Broadcom (Nasdaq:BRCM - News). Click here for the full story exclusively on Zacks.com: http://at.zacks.com/?id=84
Highlights from the May 26th Featured Expert column by Ian Wyatt include:
Timing is Everything
For several months now, Qualcomm's (Nasdaq:QCOM - News) stock was supposed to bounce - investors have been waiting in anticipation.
Though the prediction may still be valid - if not, indeed, likely - the timing will, unfortunately, be delayed. A blend of market forces, legal action, and slow rolling technology have combined to push the wireless giant's long awaited 3G (third generation) led boom farther out into 2005, if not 2006.
Ian Wyatt and his team would argue that now is the perfect time for longer term investors and interested options players to step in and begin loading up on Qualcomm.
The question, again, is one of timing - and specifically timing of 3G. From several different perspectives, the wheels are already in motion for Qualcomm to enjoy 3G's rise in the US and abroad, even if those adoption rates don't mesh with Wall Street's quarterly earnings system.
Companies such as Idetic - which makes MobiTV, television over your phone now being offered by several major carriers including Sprint (NYSE:FON - News) for its Sprint TV - emphasize that innovative applications are moving 3G forward largely because of end-user demand. If subscribers for robust wireless services were happy on 2.5G, they will be ecstatic using 3G, and are now calling for the availability of faster and faster downloads - a demand companies such as Qualcomm would rather heed than leave high margin dollars sitting on the table. In fact, as Scanlan notes, 3G is already happening now in select cities around the US -- with Verizon (NYSE:VZ - News) just beginning its launch, and Sprint offering 3G this summer which will finally enable full motion video for MobiTV, Sprint TV, and others.
Such innovation will not be without further industry conflict, however. Broadband chipmaker, Broadcom (Nasdaq:BRCM - News), recently hit Qualcomm with two patent infringement complaints, suing Qualcomm in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction. Broadcom's legal challenge focuses on new generations of communications chips used to deliver digital media and voice-over-the-Net features to cell phones. The company charges that Qualcomm is infringing on a total of 10 patents, patents that cover multimedia services such as audio, video, and data, as well as communications capabilities. Though the market shrugged it off, the lawsuit became one more reason for delaying bullish interest in Qualcomm.
Not everyone, however, is sitting on the sidelines. Investment firm Piper Jaffray again reiterated its Outperform rating on Qualcomm within the last month, maintaining its $50 price target. As it stated in its analyst report, "with more than 1 billion GSM subscribers on a migration path to CDMA-based technologies over the next decade, we believe Qualcomm could post strong long-term earnings growth." For equity investors possessing a longer time horizon than Wall Street's quarter-by-quarter mentality, Qualcomm absolutely remains a unique and interesting play; with timing as perhaps the only factor left up for grabs.
Read all of Ian Wyatt's commentary on the stocks above by clicking: http://at.zacks.com/?id=85
Product Review: Samsung IP-A790 Smartphone
By Mark Long
May 31, 2005 7:00PM
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=13300002QGM4
One major disappointment is that the handset's unrivaled global-roaming capabilities come at a steep price. But globe-trotting road warriors at companies with deep pockets will find that the A790 is about as versatile as they come.
The Samsung A790 is a world-class smartphone with the ability to access CDMA networks in the United States as well as to roam freely over GSM networks in the rest of the world.
Available from both Sprint (IP-A790) and Verizon Wireless (SCH-A790), the new quad-band cellular handset offers globe-trotting road warriors the unrivaled convenience of being able to receive and place calls in more than 100 countries while maintaining a single telephone number.
Under the Hood
Measuring 3.5 x 1.97 x 1.0 inches and tipping the scales at 4.7 ounces, the Samsung A790 is based on Qualcomm's MSM6300 chipset, which has been designed to enable dual-mode operations over GSM (1800 MHz/900 MHz) and CDMA2000 1X (1900 MHz/800 MHz) networks.
On the outside of the handset is a 65K-color TFT external display that features a resolution of 128 x 96 pixels. The case flips open to reveal the unit's main TFT screen, which delivers 265K colors at a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels.
The unit's standard Lithium-ion battery is capable of delivering up to 3 hours of continuous CDMA talk time or up to 3.5 hours when operating in the GSM mode. An extended battery is also available for the handset that boosts CDMA and GSM talk times to 4.7 hours and 5.2 hours, respectively.
In addition, the requisite global positioning system chip is onboard to enable E911 calls to be placed from any cellular location where this wireless emergency service is offered.
Multimedia Capabilities
The Samsung A790 integrates an embedded VGA camera with built-in flash that enables the user to snap still images and to record short MPEG-4 video clips at 15 frames per second. The handset's imaging abilities are further enhanced through the incorporation of a self-timer as well as the requisite controls for adjusting image brightness and color tone.
The built-in media player allows the viewing of streaming video and audio programming on demand. In addition, the A790 incorporates a Voice Memo Recorder that is capable of recording and playing back memos, notes or reminders.
On the downside, the handset's voice and multimedia services cannot be accessed simultaneously. For example, if a call is received while the Sprint PCS Vision service is active, the call will be forwarded to voicemail. Although outgoing calls can be placed at any time, they will automatically interrupt any Sprint PCS Vision session that is then taking place.
Software Highlights
The Samsung A790 incorporates a voice-activated internal phone book that is capable of storing up to 500 contact phone numbers, e-mail addresses and Web site URLs. Numbers are dialed automatically by simply saying the name for any phone book entry.
Additionally, the user can say the word "status" and the phone will audibly respond by giving the phone's signal and battery strength.
The handset incorporates an airplane mode that will allow many features to remain operational when the user is in an airplane or in any other environment where wireless transmissions are prohibited. Moreover, the unit's password-protected lock prevents unauthorized access to the unit.
The Samsung A790 gives the end-user the ability to instantly send and receive e-mail and SMS text messages as well as engage in Instant Messaging sessions. The handset also includes predictive T9 text-entry software that will enable the end-user to quickly tap out text messages on the unit's standard phone keypad.
Accessing the Web
Handset users will be able to access Web content whenever the phone is operating in the CDMA mode. The bottom line of the handset's display presents the soft-key shortcuts for navigating around the Web, corresponding to the left and right buttons located directly below the unit's display screen.
The handset's four-way navigation control is used to scroll up and down to see the contents of the entire Web page. Sprint PCS Vision subscribers have access to financial news, weather reports and entertainment content from sites such as CNNtoGo, Bloomberg, The Weather Channel, USA Today and Forbes.
By signing up to receive Verizon's new Wireless Mobile Web 2.0 service, subscribers can access their Yahoo Mail from the Verizon Wireless Today home page. Moreover, subscribers who elect to define their personal preferences on Yahoo can have the latest financial news and weather reports of interest sent directly to their handsets automatically.
In addition, Mobile Web 2.0 subscribers will be able to purchase music and even movies that can be downloaded to their phones.
The High Price of Global Roaming
One major disappointment is that the handset's unrivaled global-roaming capabilities come at a steep price.
Sprint has established a flat-rate price of $1.50 per minute for placing or receiving calls in those countries that are included under the carrier's long-distance GSM plan. However, calls places in countries where CDMA and AMPS frequencies are supported will demand a surcharge of $.50 to $.99 per minute on top of the long-distance charges.
When traveling abroad, Verizon subscribers will be placing their calls over the Vodafone international network, which encompasses cellular sites in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific. The tariff amounts to $1.29 per minute in most overseas countries, except for the Maldives, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Latvia, where calls cost $2.49 per minute.
Verizon also offers international text messaging in most countries at a price of $0.50 to send or $0.05 to receive.
The Bottom Line
Sprint's IP-A790 is available online at a price of $369.99 following the application of a $50 Web discount. Verizon's SCH-A790 is available for $349.99 when the buyer signs up for a two-year service agreement. Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 service is priced separately at $4.99 per month in addition to regular airtime fees.
Globe-trotting road warriors at companies with deep pockets will find that the A790 is about as versatile as they come. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Samsung's quad-band, dual-mode handset a 3.9 rating.
Japan mobile makers face challenges at home, abroad
By Kiyoshi Takenaka
Reuters
Monday, May 30, 2005; 5:10 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/30/AR2005053000183.html
TOKYO (Reuters) - Not only have Japanese mobile phone makers' global ambitions been dashed, but they may soon face challenges at home as foreign firms compete with cutting-edge camera phones, mobile Web access and 3G handsets.
Japanese makers had long dreamed of headlines about corporate successes from China to Europe and beyond. But nowadays stories are detailing their departures from key foreign markets.
Toshiba Corp., for instance, pulled out of China, and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. led a retreat from Europe after failing to compete successfully with Nokia and other global giants.
"They may be thinking that as long as they have the domestic market, all is well. But companies like Nokia and Motorola Inc. will soon be coming in," said IDC analyst Michito Kimura.
"If they lost the domestic market, that would be the fall of their last bastion."
So far, mobile phone makers in Japan have been able to keep the domestic market, which accounts for about 7 percent of global demand, virtually to themselves. That's mainly because Japanese second-generation mobile phone networks were based on a unique, home-grown technology.
But users are gradually shifting to a global W-CDMA standard for high-speed third-generation (3G) services, helping to crack open the market for overseas makers.
NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's dominant wireless carrier, said last week it aimed to launch a 3G phone made by Nokia as early as the second half of this business year starting in October.
DoCoMo also plans to introduce a Motorola phone for business users this summer, exerting pricing pressure on Japanese handset makers and potentially denting their already shaky profitability.
Total mobile phone shipments by a dozen handset makers in Japan -- which include NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Kyocera Corp. and Sharp Corp. -- together equal only one-third of Nokia's, making research investments scattered and productivity improvements difficult to achieve.
Even two domestic leaders, NEC and Matsushita, which makes Panasonic brand products, posted losses in their mobile phone operations last business year ended on March 31.
Although they aim to turn a profit this business year, projected operating profits at their mobile phone business represent just a few percent of their company-wide operating profit estimates, respectively.
EXPENSIVE HANDSETS
Japanese makers' outlook for overseas operations have dimmed, with the majority of new markets in countries such as Russia, Brazil and India, where demand for high-end models -- Japanese makers' speciality -- is limited.
"The low-end segment in emerging markets is where volume demand is. In matured markets, fierce price competition is cutting into cellphone makers' profit margin," said Nahoko Mitsuyama, principal analyst at Gartner.
Japanese makers are ill-prepared for price wars after growing accustomed to domestic business practices where mobile carriers provide subsidies of several tens of thousands of yen (several hundred dollars) per unit, analysts say.
Mobile carriers pay those subsidies to keep retail prices low, sacrificing short-term profits for long-term gains from monthly fee charges to users.
Selling prices average $150-$200 for major overseas makers but are $400-$500 for Japanese makers, UFJ Tsubasa Securities analyst Yukihiko Shimada said.
"Since Japanese makers have been playing games like this in their home ground, they cannot quite adjust themselves to overseas markets," Shimada said.
ERODING EDGE
Even in the area of technological innovation -- Japanese makers' single most important competitive edge -- they find themselves being overtaken by South Korean rivals.
Photo-snapping phones, for example, were developed by Japanese mobile phone makers. But it was nimble global giants such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. that took photo phones to the global market in volume.
Samsung outstripped Japanese makers in camera phone technologies by launching the world's first 5-megapixel model in October and unveiling a 7-megapixel product in March.
"It does not matter whether the 7-megapixel model sells well. By introducing such a product, Samsung can spread a brand image as a company with advanced technology," said Suguru Kagawa, researcher at Yono Research Institute.
With their cost competitiveness falling far behind global giants and reputation as technological leader eroding, growth prospects for Japanese mobile phone makers look dim, raising expectations for an industry shakeout.
"It is true that there are too many cellphone makers in Japan. It is also true that they are not in good health. There is a possibility that withdrawal could be the right answer for some of them," IDC's Kimura said.
At your fingertips
LIU BAIJIA
2005-05-30 06:15
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/30/content_446770.htm
Who would have thought falling in love and dating that special girl would be so difficult? Certainly not Luo Shengong.
But that has been the case. The 31-year-old editor with a Beijing-based publishing house has been racking his brains in recent weeks trying to find suitable places to entertain and dine with his new girlfriend.
Luo strives to take his companion to new and exciting places on each date. But that is not as easy as it seems, even in a large city such as Beijing. It means Luo must do a lot of homework including surfing the Internet to find interesting places to go and things to do.
He hopes, one day, he will be able to get that from his cellphone rather than sitting in front of a large monitor and clicking a mouse.
That day may be closer than Luo realizes.
Han Shiming, chief executive officer of Beijing GeoKing Info Co Ltd, says his company launched, last December, a mobile map service with China Mobile.
GeoKing, one of China's three authorized electronic map information providers, is China Mobile's only geological information system (GIS) partner.
The system is fairly straightforward. Cellphone users downloads a map into their handset. When they want to locate a place, person or object, they send a message to China Mobile's servers, then they receive a message containing location information. The location will then be displayed on their mobile phone.
The service was launched, as a trial, last December. Now, 26 smart phones support the service, and there are eight applications including a city guide, garage and automobile maintenance sites and an atlas on the platform.
Last February, China Mobile and Geoking promoted the Map@handset service during the Series 60 Challenge 2005 Awards, an international competition of value-added services on the Symbian smart phone platform. The service was one of the three out of 60 competitors top award winners.
Despite growing support, the service, scheduled to be launched in March for commercial use in China, was postponed in Beijing by China Mobile's Beijing branch due to a change in the billing system.
Bandwidth, however, may be a bigger barrier.
A mobile version of Beijing's map is about 800 kilobytes, but the data transmission speed of the current 2.5G mobile communications network is about 20 kilobits per second. It usually takes minutes to download such a map.
"The experiences of many users have not been pleasant, and that is the biggest headache for us," says Han.
He pins his hopes on the coming third-generation (3G) mobile communications network and WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access), a major 3G standard that has a data transmission speed of 384 kilobits per second, in theory, and, in practice, 200 kilobits per second.
At that time, downloading a Beijing map will take a few seconds, which is much more acceptable.
Han says his firm is revising its map software to divide the maps into different tiers, so users will not have to download a whole map at one time. That will save downloading time, and makes it more comfortable for users.
GeoKing has been working, this year, with China Mobile's provincial subsidiaries in Hubei, Hunan and Henan to demonstrate the services to customers.
Besides relying on the 3G network, combining with the GPS (global positioning system) technology is another option for the GeoKing mobile map services.
China Mobile is expected to push its Assistant GPS (AGPS) service more aggressively, which has an error rate of 10 to 50 metres.
Beijing has installed such devices in more than 20,000 new taxis this year. The devices will eventually be installed in another 10,000 taxis.
At present, the taxi drivers only receive longitude and latitude information, which is virtually useless to the drivers, as they cannot identify locations from that information.
In future, Han says, the drivers will be able to download maps and obtain information about their locations when they enter new areas.
(China Daily 05/30/2005 page8)
Panning for gold in the telecom market
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2005-05-30 09:25
By Qin Haibo
http://en.ce.cn/Insight/200505/30/t20050530_3933452.shtml
Asia will become the biggest 3G-telecomm market in the world and the drive force of the 3G's future development will generate in Asia, especially in China, but not in North America or Europe. Such common agreement has been reached by the personages in the telecom field attending this Fortune global forum.
Currently, Japan and Korea are the most successful countries in the development of 3G system of the world. In the two countries, the wireless data service, which is the most applied part in 3G system, has rapidly developed and the network operators have obtained great profits. But in the European and American market where the wireless data service is not universal yet, to a large extent, the 3G system still provides the basic phone-call service, so the network operators can hardly take back the huge sum of investments in a short time.
Being the most potential telecommunication market in the world, China is in the concern of the global telecommunication tycoons. Since 2003, the CEOs of the multinational telecommunication equipments companies, such as Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson, Siemens, and Nortel, take turns to visit China with the purpose of lobbying the Chinese government to start the 3G-system network construction soon.
In the recent 10 years, the Chinese telecommunication industry has been keeping an extremely high growth speed; the average annual growth rate is above 20 percent. Now in China, both the numbers of fixed telephone customers and cellular phone customers have reached 350 million, which jump to the first in the world. Though the growing speed has slowed down a little bit in recent years, the 30 percent distribution rate is still highly attractive to the multinational telecommunication tycoons.
It's more exciting that wireless data service is gradually tried and accepted by the local Chinese cellular phone customers. The wireless data services of the China Mobile and China Unicom, have already reached 15 percent of the gross earnings or so, which has a narrow gap with the Japanese and Korean network operators. The annual growth rate of the short messages in China has been above 100 percent in recent years. The M-Zone service of the China Mobile had attracted more than 10 million young and vogue customers in just one year, and the diverse wireless services are becoming more and more popular among the youth.
Because the development of the Euro-American 3G market was not so successful in the past few years, China has been holding a careful attitude towards the 3G-network construction. But it is also said that China will launch in the experimental construction of the 3G networks in this year, as the maturity of the 3G technology, the development of its application and the improvement of the business model.
When the 3G is launched, will the case in the 2G age repeat that the great majority quotas were taken away by the foreign companies? In the 2G ages, because the domestic companies started late, more than 90 percent of the market quotas were occupied by foreign companies such as Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens…etc. Almost all the domestic companies became the on-lookers for a more than 200 billion market. It's reported that the 3G network construction will arouse a market of nearly one trillion, and no one hopes that domestic companies are still out of play this time.
In the telecommunication equipments industry that tycoons stand up like a forest, domestic companies are just quietly rising. The TD-SCDMA standard with the independent intelligent property right, which is developed by Datang Telecom Technology Co., Ltd., is one of the three main world standards. The latest news shows that the TD-SCDMA has already had the independent ability of organizing the network and will be commercially applied in this June.
Currently, both the ZTE Corporation and the Quidway Technology Co., Ltd., which respectively has a short history of 20 years and 17 years, have displayed the considerable strength in the GSM, CDMA and 3G fields, and occupied certain market quotas.
By the end of 2004, Quidway has taken charge of five of the forty-eight 3G networks set up in the world. The wireless products of Quidway have already been exported to more than 40 countries, and its world sales breaks 100 million lines. Its WCDMA in Tunisia, and the CDMA2000 in Russia, Turkey, Algeria, and Vietnam have all already carried out the scale application.
Since the beginning of 2005, ZTE has built up the global strategically cooperative relations with many world famous telecommunication companies, which set up a good foundation for occupying the global high level market. Moreover, at the end of this April, Quidway was selected as the Britain preferential telecommunication supplier, and for the first time became the first-level supplier as Ericsson, Cisco and Siemens...etc.
"ZTE and Quidway have stood at the same scratch line with other leading companies in the industry, and have the ability to guard the domestic market and obtain a place in the global market", said an industry insider in the Fortune forum.
Source:CE.cn
Huawei to enter Indonesia's WCDMA market
(Xinhuanet)
Updated: 2005-05-30 15:19
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/30/content_446946.htm
Chinese telecommunications equipment provider Huawei Technologies Co Ltd plans to enter the Indonesia's Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) market beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.
"Based on our roadmap, starting in December, we will release GSM-3G handsets on the market," said PT Huawei Tech Investment Senior Account Manager Bimbo Abimanyu on Monday.
WCDMA is a form of 3G, a third generation advanced technology which enables cellular subscribers to enjoy several services such as video streaming and video conferencing via cellular phones, in addition to much faster data transfer.
As a start, the company introduced its latest range of 3G mobile phones in Indonesia at the 2005 CDMA Exhibition in Jakarta, which ended on Sunday.
Huawei's Oliver Mu said his company was still trying to get more information through various surveys and research about the Indonesian market.
The spread of 3G networks will stimulate the growth of 3G subscribers and demand for its terminals which provides by firms such as Huawei, which produces wireless terminal products.
"To expand the market, we will have to find ourselves more strategic business partners," he said, adding that the company is cooperating with domestic telecommunications operators such as Bakrie Telecom, Indosat and Telkom.
CDMA technology, that allows the development of fixed-wireless phone services, was first introduced in the country about two years ago. However, it is quickly gaining in popularity as it offers rates almost equivalent to the rates of fixed-line services and is much cheaper than GSM rates.
In fact, the fast-growing CMDA market has moved GSM operators to cut their rates and come up with their own attractive packages.
Dialing in to 3G
YU CHEN
2005-05-30 06:15
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/30/content_446769.htm
There is no doubt a growing number of people will eventually choose to pay their telecoms and gas bills via handsets, rather than waiting in long queues at their banks.
Of course, payments made via handsets must be easy and, most importantly, secure.
That's just one example of the way value-added telecoms services can change our daily lives.
Value-added telecoms services including 3D gaming, location-based services, health-care consultations, e-government, rural and urban education, remote monitoring and various enterprise applications in the third-generation (3G) era of mobile communications will become an emerging, and increasingly important, industry.
Even more important, especially for telecoms operators, such value-added services will bring rich returns, such as improving revenues and enhancing average revenue per user (ARPU).
That's exactly what China's telecoms operators are trying to achieve at present, virtually on the eve of unveiling the 3G standards in China.
"What we are doing today is meeting customers needs and consolidating our brands," Lu Xiangdong, deputy general manager of China Mobile, said last week during ceremonies marking the launch of an "A+" solution for its "GoTone" subscribers.
Lu says the "A+" solution is a comprehensive integration of all the firm's services for "GoTone" users.
Those services include multimedia photos, ring-back tones, international roaming and online counters.
"By offering the whole package of services, we aim to provide optimized services to our customers to further consolidate our business," Lu says.
China Mobile, the world's largest mobile telecoms carrier, in terms of subscribers, is running a GSM (global system for mobile communications) network. It plans to adopt WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) when it migrates from 2G (second-generation) to 3G.
Analysts believe China Mobile's launch of the "A+" solution indicates it is enhancing services in preparation for 3G.
China Mobile has long attached great importance to value-added telecoms services, especially in the competition with its major rival, China Unicom.
"We believe the value-added business will gain increasing importance, as it will play an increasingly important role in differentiating our services from those of our competitors," says Ye Bing, director-general of China Mobile Communications Corporation's Data Service Department.
He expects explosive development in value-added telecoms services this year.
China Unicom, meanwhile, plans to take greater advantage of its CDMA networks and develop more value-added telecoms services this year, says Wang Yingpei, general manager of China Unicom's Value-added Business Department.
Wang says China Unicom has classified its value-added services into three main categories entertainment, daily life and industrial applications.
Currently, China Unicom's value-added services are mainly based on WAP (wireless application protocol), BREW (binary runtime environment for wireless) and JAVA technologies.
Wang says 70-80 per cent of the value-added telecoms services such as streaming media , video on demand, mobile payment and location-based services can be upgraded to 3G.
"Although we do not have a timetable for the launch of 3G-related telecoms services, as we are trying to land a 3G licence, we believe value-added services will be a key revenue generator for us in the future," Edward Tian, vice-chairman of China Netcom, tells China Business Weekly.
He says he is confident China Netcom will secure a mobile licence when the Chinese Government unveils its 3G strategies.
He says the company is working on broadband services to pave the solid foundation for 3G-based, value-added telecoms services.
To accelerate its broadband business, China Netcom in January clinched a strategic partnership with PCCW, when it acquired a 20-per-cent stake in the firm.
Tian says China Netcom is teaming with PCCW mainly in the areas of broadband-video conferencing, international business, mobile business, Yellow book services and real estate.
In March, China Netcom readjusted its broadband strategy when it unveiled a new brand name - CNC MAX.
All of China Netcom's former broadband businesses aimed at families and individuals were placed under the new brand.
Analysts say domestic telecoms operators are right to roll out more value-added telecoms services before China adopts 3G.
"The applications and content could be well tested by the market, as there are no killer applications so far," says Samuel Chua, an analyst with KGI Asia Ltd.
Chua believes 3G is a tremendous opportunity for domestic telecoms operators to enhance their competitiveness, by rolling out new services and applications.
It is widely believed the Chinese Government will roll out 3G licences later this year, given the fast development of 3G technologies worldwide.
"I believe 3G will drive a major, positive change for consumers and businesses around the world in entertainment, education, medical care, economic growth and security, and it will do so at lower costs and universal availability," says Irwin Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm Inc.
"With 3G, wireless consumers are able to use their handsets to capture video, monitor kids from a remote place, download movie trailers, find a place to dine, watch football games, access e-mail, get traffic updates and even check their blood pressure."
In addition, 3G enables mobile carriers to provide cost effective, innovative data applications and rich multimedia to large numbers of consumers.
"The mobile handset is increasingly becoming a highly integrated, indispensable device that represents the convergence of many consumer, communications and computing technologies," he says.
(China Daily 05/30/2005 page8)