Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

[carranza2]

Right, and EDGE was originally set to be 384 kbps on the downlink, if my memory serves me correctly, which makes it 3G.

The Nokia phone--the only one on the horizon--is limited to a max of 118 kbps, which means it probably will get 40-60 kbps on the average. This makes it barely competitive with 1x. And totally non-competitive with DO.

The problem is that WCDMA is being delayed in Europe yet the new GSM base stations being shipped have EDGE functionality. Therefore, European carriers will be tempted to use EDGE as a stop gap, a step which will delay WCDMA even more. This of course delays our WCDMA royalty flow while at the same time promoting a technology in which Q has no interest whatsoever.

The Euro-geniuses who dreamed up WCDMA were fiddling in a big way with the law of unintended consequences. They're going to screw up their own systems, waste enormous amounts of $ in the process, and potentially screw up my investments.

Don't you just love 'em?