Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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BREW, WIPI Aim To Become Mainstream Smart Phone OS
Thursday, November 25, 2004
By Sung Ho-chul & Kwon Geon-ho

http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail_top.html?id=200411250001&art_grad=9

Two wireless platforms, Qualcomm¡¯s BREW and domestically-developed standard 'WIPI' are in race with Microsoft's ¡®Windows Mobile' and Nokia's 'Symbian' to become a market-dominating operating system.

Wireless platforms have served as middleware that lets mobile phones run games, maps and other applications.

With processors installed into handsets failing to catch up with evolution of OSs, however, competition had been limited. Now that processors with enhanced functions are available, wide adoption of smart phones installed with operating systems such as Windows Mobile and Symbian, which run a variety of applications, is gaining steam.

Wireless platforms such as BREW and WIPI are also increasingly tailored for OS functions. Qualcomm's BREW has become the dominating platform in the CDMA area, propelled by the growing numbers of customers using U.S. Varizone and Japan's KDDI service.

BREW remains open to interoperability with Windows and Symbian, while gearing up for a battle in the OS market. The move is seen as opposite to the downsizing trends of OSs, which have moved from mainframe and Unix to Windows and Windows CE.

Qualcomm unveiled BREW 3.1 in May this year, offering enhanced user interface. "We plan to roll out BREW 4.0 in the first half of next year, and the new software will play more than 80% of OS role," said a manager at the company.

"Windows Mobile may get ahead in smart phones adopting mass-market processors, but BREW will likely secure a leading position in the MSM (CDMA) area," said Oh Jae-ha, executive director at Qualcomm Korea.

"MSM 6000 series comes with less than 20% of communication functions, and the trends will continue through MSM 7000, reflecting the changing wireless environment," he added. "Competition between BREW and Windows Mobile will most likely heat up in the changing market."

It remains to be seen how well the MSM chip developer will compete with OS makers. Another major factor is whether KTF will continue using BREW after adoption of WIPI technology in April next year.

The Korea Wireless Internet Standards Forum (KWISF) is crating a long-term strategy for WIPI in the smart phone era. The forum is mulling over adding OS functions to WIPI and placing WIPI over embedded Linux.

"We still see risk of developing a proprietary OS," said Kim Seon-ja, researcher at the KWISF. "We plan to launch a smart phone department to work out challenges ahead"

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) tested installation of WIPI over embedded Linux 'Qplus', and it plans to showcase the technology at Soft Expo set for next month.

"Embedded Linux will likely increase presence in the Northeast Asian region," said Kim Heung-nam, embedded software researcher at the ETRI. "By installing WIPI over embedded Linux and ensuring downstream interoperability of content, we will be able to be better positioned for smart phone competition."

"The idea of linking WIPI with another OS to compete with Windows Mobile sounds hardly convincing," said an industry expert, however.