Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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Qualcomm sees 2006 European, Asian mobile TV trials
Tue Sep 27, 2005 10:15 PM ET
By Sinead Carew

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh91206_2005-09-28_02-15-28_n27....

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) expects to run tests of live television over mobile phone networks in Europe and Asia next year, with potential commercial services in 2007, a company executive said on Tuesday.

The supplier of the core wireless chip technology for mobile phones is on track to introduce mobile TV based on its MediaFlo technology in several large U.S. cities in October next year, Qualcomm engineering executive Rob Chandhok said.

Video and music are expected to be the next hot features for mobile phones as wireless providers deliver new services to help them boost revenue as prices of conventional voice calls drop and the number of potential new users shrinks.

Qualcomm has long dominated the market for chips based on CDMA, the biggest U.S. standard for mobile phone technology. It is looking to expand this lead into advanced technologies such as mobile TV.

In Europe, where Qualcomm is only starting to make inroads with its wireless communications chips and technology, Chandhok said both TV broadcasters and wireless network operators were showing a strong interest in its MediaFlo technology.

"We have been pulled into Europe more than we've pushed," said Chandhok at a wireless conference in San Francisco, where he demonstrated the technology on a prototype cellphone.

Chandhok said he expected multiple European trials in 2006 with some commercial services in 2007. He also expects companies in Asia to start trials of the technology next year. He declined to name potential customers.

Qualcomm is hoping to stoke demand for its TV broadcast technology by investing $800 million to build a nationwide U.S. network and it expects to sell the service through at least one existing wireless service provider.

"We are not concerned about having at least one wireless operator to launch with" in October 2006, Chandhok said.

The top three U.S. wireless providers already offer video clips to their customers.


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