Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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Qualcomm readies its MediaFLO plans


Nicolas Mokhoff
EE Times
(03/16/2006 10:00 AM EST)

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=183700057

NEW YORK — Betting on users in emerging market countries to use their cell phones to predominantly play games, Qualcomm will leverage technologies from its acquisition of Iridigm and its build-out of MediFLO infrastructure to offer mobile TV on cells by the end of the year.

"We pumped $800 million to launch MediaFLO with Verizon being the first carrier to offer it in early 2007," said Nagraj Kashyap, Senior Manager, Business Development at Qualcomm Ventures, during the USDC/Needham Display Industry Investment Conference here Wednesday (March 15). "We are working to bring down the 20 to 25 percent of the total bill of materials of the display part of a cell phone.”

Kashyap said that the next-generation of lithium ion batteries will go a long way to help with the cell phone power requirements as well. "We are working with several companies who are developing new lithium batteries. We will be selling separate chips and chip sets, including power management ICs to cell phone manufacturers for use on the MediaFLO service."

MediaFLO is a Forward Link Only service that is essentially a broadcast service to be used for mobile TV applications. MediaFLO USA is a nationwide network that uses the 700 MHz spectrum that can support up to 20 streaming channels, up to 10 audio channels and numerous IP datacasting channels.

FLO technology is supported by the FLO forum, an organization of more than 25 leading global wireless industry companies that ensures specifications will be open and available to a wide range of technology providers, and equipment and handset manufacturers.

Earlier today, The Forum said it has ratified key specifications developed by its Test and Certification Committee that focus on interoperability and compatibility for FLO- based terrestrial mobile multimedia multicast devices and transmitters.

Qualcomm hopes MediaFLO will further promote mobile phones as an indispensable device consumers feel they must carry.

"It's becoming so that you take a wallet, underwear and your cell phone when you leave the house", said Kashyap. "And this will be even more so in emerging market countries where the cell phone is becoming the center of personal work and play."

Qualcomm also hopes to leverage display technologies acquired from Iridigm Display Corp. in Sept. 2004 in their mobile phones. The company formed Qualcomm MEMS Technologies (QMT) to commercialize Iridigm's iMoD technology, which promises substantial performance and power consumption benefits over alternative display technologies.

iMOD is a reflective display technology that can operate over an extended temperature range and can be viewed in bright sunlight and a much wider array of environments than competitive technologies. Also, the display unlike conventional LCD technologies only consumes power when a pixel is changed.