The general problem in Europe is as follows:
1) The huge PC revolution was and still is controlled by Intel and Microsoft. The Europeans just stood buy, watched it happen, and paid up.
2) By acting as a block, the Europeans seized control of the world cell phone telecom market by acting together and raising high patent barriers against all who would enter.
3) Now we see that 3G cell phones will become the universal world wide must have, ubiquitous appliance. The capacity to do Photos, movies, TV broadcasts, LBS, music, purchases, computing and much more is essentially here for EVDO phones and WCDMA phones. These phones are the next big thing on this earth.
4) Unfortunately for the Euronuts, the key 3G technology to do all of this is owned by QCOM for the whole earth-- and all major phone builders have licensed it and agreed to pay royalties to QCOM. Thus, the aparant European control over GSM has just not translated to 3G wireless to the huge disappointment of euronut companies.
5) This is a bitter pill to swallow. It is especially so now, with the sagging European econimies so needing a boost.
6) Now QCOM has strengthened its claims on key OFDM IP. It must appear to the Euronuts that QCOM may well maintain its technoggical lead on into 4G. QCOM has apparantly taken the technological lead in HSPDA too. They feel that they are set up to follow the QCOM lead indefinitely. They are committed to doing whatever can be done to stop QCOM and keep various QCOM WCDMA ASIC users out of Europe.
6) Thus we will re-enter a period of global telecom war. Assertion of QCOM's rights to GSM royalties is a counter to the attacks Broadcom and NOK launched at the governmental level. It is also a counter to the GSM cabal's plan to knock out QCOM ally Samaungs by extracting huge royalty rates on GSM phones Samsung must have to complete its product line.
7) Clearly NOK and Ericy have been slowing 3G roll out and pushing cheap worldwide GSM to set the stage for this battle.