Another view of JV..Pay attention at the bottom :
By Anne Knowles, PC Week Online
November 11, 1998 11:07 AM ET
As expected, Microsoft Corp. and Qualcomm Corp. on Wednesday announced a 50-50 joint venture to develop wireless devices based on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system and Qualcomm's CDMA digital cellular technology.
The venture, which was first reported on last week, will be called WirelessKnowledge LLC and be based in San Diego. The goal of the venture is to deliver wireless access to a broad range of mobile devices using a variety of wide area networking protocols, including Code Division Multiple Access, GSM (Global Satellite Mobile), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and Mobitex.
To that end, the pair announced deals with nine wireless carriers: AirTouch Communications, AT&T Wireless Services, Bell Atlantic Mobile, Bell Mobility, BellSouth, GTE Wireless, Leap Wireless International, Sprint PCS and U.S. West Wireless.
"Anticipating the use of wireless computing has been like watching paint dry," said Mark Bell, vice president of Business Development at U.S. West Wireless. "Well, today the paint has dried."
The venture plans to deliver messaging, e-mail, calendaring, contact list and basic information services to carriers who, in turn, will offer the services to end users. Pricing will be determined by each carrier.
Service trials are set to begin next month, with availability expected by April of 1999, according to Qualcomm officials.
In addition to the venture, Microsoft and Qualcomm plan to integrate Windows CE into a future Qualcomm ASIC chip and a range of mobile devices, such as smart phones and pagers.
The platform to support such devices, due next year, is code-named Chimera. Microsoft is developing a small footprint microbrowser for use on Chimera devices that will be included as part of the basic service package.
ZDnet |
