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Technology Stocks : The New Qualcomm - a S&P500 company -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eric L who wrote (209)	7/26/1999 11:24:00 AM
From: Bux	Respond to of 13582

HP Provides Second HP RFIC TestSystem to QUALCOMM; QUALCOMM Shortens Time-to-Market for ManufacturingRF ASICs With RF/Analog/Digital Test Capabilities of HP 84000 July 26, 1999 11:01 AM PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 1999-- Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that QUALCOMM Incorporated, based in San Diego, purchased its second HP 84000 RFIC (radio frequency integrated circuit) test system within the past year. The system, worth more than a million dollars, provides the additional test capacity QUALCOMM needs to bring several new RF ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to market rapidly. QUALCOMM said it is using the HP 84000 test system to characterize its prototype RFIC devices and to transform evaluation-test information into production-test solutions for the company's contract manufacturers. "As the wireless industry embraces higher levels of device integration, HP is evolving its systems to meet more challenging test requirements for manufacturing complex wireless SOC (System-On-a-Chip) devices in volume," said John Scruggs, vice president and general manager of the Automated Test Group. According to Charlie Jones, director of engineering RF/analog IC production/test at QUALCOMM, key selection factors included "HP's excellent working relationship with QUALCOMM and our familiarity with the HP 84000 test platform. Another factor in our purchase decision was our desire to minimize any chance of our suppliers experiencing any quality or reliability problems with their test systems." QUALCOMM said it will use its new HP 84000 system to test highly integrated mixed-signal devices, such as the RFT3100, a device for wireless applications with analog and digital functionality that will interface with QUALCOMM's MSM (Mobile Station Modem) digital chip and provide signal modulations and frequencies for RF signal processing. "With several devices coming to market at once, we alleviated what could have been a very challenging time-to-market goal by getting a second HP 84000 test system," said Jones. "We are moving forward with a high degree of confidence, because we never have to worry about the level of support that we can expect from HP." About HP 84000 Series RFIC Test Systems HP 84000 Series RFIC systems lower the cost of test for integrated-circuit manufacturers in the rapidly growing RF-communications market by increasing throughput, speeding parts changeover and improving repeatability. HP 84000 Series RFIC measurement software uses a simple, graphical interface that includes predefined test-plan menus and forms. Designed as a state-of-the-art VXI platform, the HP 84000 Series can be easily expanded as RF integrated circuitry become more complex. The latest measurement software included with the HP 84000 Series (revision A.02.00) provides test enhancements that keep pace with wireless-device integration, providing mixed-signal capability and highly accurate RF performance. Information on HP's semiconductor test solution can be found on the World Wide Web at hp.com.