Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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DoCoMo handsets to use Qualcomm's WCDMA chip sets

By W. David Gardner, TechWeb
Monday, October 11, 2004

In a major victory for Qualcomm's WCDMA technology, the US firm announced that it will work with Japan's NTT DoCoMo wireless service provider to promote the WCDMA digital wireless technology.

Whilst the two firms didn't say so, the decision is likely to negatively impact DoCoMo's JWCDMA proprietary technology, which wasn't widely accepted in global markets.

The WCDMA standard is established in several international markets. The move isn't likely to have an immediate impact on wireless markets in the US, where DoCoMo had been partnering with AT&T Wireless.

Amongst other things, the announcement means that wireless subscribers using handsets with Qualcomm chips will be able to roam onto DoCoMo's FOMA network in Japan.

Whilst DoCoMo's i-Mode FOMA handsets have enjoyed considerable success in Japan, those technologies didn't catch on in a big way in foreign markets.

Qualcomm said the firms have conducted successful interoperability tests utilising Qualcomm's MSM6250 chip set, with field tests scheduled to begin immediately on FOMA networks.

"Several handset manufacturers are currently in discussion with Qualcomm to develop FOMA i-mode handsets using the Company's MSM6250 single-chip solution and the BREW client software," Qualcomm stated last week. "Such handsets are targeted to launch in the second half of 2005."

Qualcomm is already a supplier to DoCoMo's Japanese rival, KDDI, which uses a competing brand of CDMA. In recent months, KDDI has been gaining market share on DoCoMo, which controls 56 percent of the Japanese market, according to recent market figures.

"This is a very good move by Qualcomm and DoCoMo," said Joe Nordgaard, managing director of wireless consultancy Spectral Advantage. "It helps align mobile service to international standards."

Qualcomm previously hadn't supplied any chip sets to manufacturers of handsets built for DoCoMo usage.

Copyright © 2004 CMP Media LLC

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