Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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US Wireless Co Qualcomm Eyes Chip Design Center In India
Wednesday March 17, 9:26 am ET


NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- Qualcomm Inc. (NasdaqNM:QCOM - News) , a provider of digital wireless communication technologies, is considering opening a chip design and software center in India, the group president said Wednesday.
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"We are actively looking at the possibility of setting up a center in India for software and chip development," Qualcomm's Group President Paul Jacobs told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference.

U.S.-based Qualcomm, which had revenues of $4 billion in 2003, is best known as the company that pioneered Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, technology that is used in wireless networks and handsets in many countries.

Jacobs didn't discuss why the company is interested in a venture in India, which is fast emerging as the low-cost technology development hub for multinational software and telecommunications companies.

`"To put up a facility in India, we will need around 100 engineers...The investment would be significant," said Jacobs.

In December 2001, around two years before Reliance Infocomm introduced CDMA mobile services in India, Qualcomm'sboard decided to buy a 4% stake in the Indian company for $200 million, however the purchase was never made.

Asked about the 2001 plans, Jacobs said Qualcomm isn't planning any investment now in the Indian company.

"Reliance Infocomm was able to launch its services without our investment," Jacobs said without elaborating.

Reliance Infocomm owns the telecommunications assets of India's biggest private sector enterprise, Reliance Industries Ltd. .

-By Ruchira Singh; Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]


http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/040317/0926000578_1.html