QCOM--QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies Performs World's First Over-the-Air CDMA Position Location Demonstration on Commercial Network at the CDG Americas Congress
Local Officials Witness Live Exhibition of gpsOne Technology that Will Enable Enhanced 911 Deployment for Wireless Handsets
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2000-- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - news), developer of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced the successful performance of the world's first over-the-air CDMA position location demonstration on a commercial network using a small-form-factor handset with the Company's gpsOne(TM) and SnapTrack(TM) position location technology. The exhibition demonstrated the commercial benefits of the QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies (QCT) gpsOne Hybrid Wireless Assisted Global Positioning System(TM) (GPS) solution, which meets the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) E9-1-1 mandate and enables real-time position fixes via mobile handsets for a wide variety of position location-based services. The live demonstration took place at the CDMA Development Group (CDG) Americas Congress 2000 held in San Diego, Calif., on October 27, 2000 and was attended by John Woodard, chief of staff for Congressman Brian Bilbray, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender and San Diego Youth Boating Association President William Maxam, all of whom are vocal supporters of the FCC E9-1-1 mandate and favor deploying position-location technology nationwide as soon as possible to enhance the safety of wireless handset users.
``Americans place more than 100,000 911 calls from wireless telephones every day, and it's important that we ensure that these callers can be located quickly and precisely in an emergency situation,'' said Jonas Neihardt, vice president of federal government affairs, QUALCOMM. ``As demonstrated, QUALCOMM's technology will enable wireless phone manufacturers to meet the E9-1-1 mandate as well as deliver a wide range of wireless location-based consumer information services.''
``I applaud QUALCOMM for developing this technology in response to concerns over public safety,'' said John Woodard, chief of staff for Congressman Brian Bilbray. ``The demonstration that I've seen proves that the technology is available and it works, and I urge the FCC to continue with its mandate for commercial deployment in October 2001. Lives are at stake, and as legislators, it is important that we take immediate action to address public safety.''
``This is a safety issue and a life-saving issue,'' said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender. ``The technology that QUALCOMM has demonstrated will enhance the personal safety of San Diegans and all Americans, and I would like to commend QUALCOMM on its successful development of this highly accurate GPS-based position location technology.''
The gpsOne and SnapTrack exhibition demonstrated three real-life situations, including stationary position fixes, a pedestrian walking and a person driving a vehicle through city traffic. During the demonstration, handset users were located within approximately 10 meters. In addition to providing emergency E9-1-1 position location fixes for consumers using wireless handsets, this solution enables a whole range of value-added location-based consumer and enterprise services for mobile subscribers, including location-sensitive billing, mobile directory assistance (such as locating ATMs and restaurants), personal navigation, location-dependent games, improved roadside assistance and enhanced vehicle fleet management.
The gpsOne and SnapTrack Wireless Assisted GPS system improves upon conventional GPS by combining information from GPS satellites and from CDMA-based wireless networks to pinpoint a wireless handset. While traditional GPS receivers may take several minutes to provide a location fix, the gpsOne and SnapTrack system generally locates callers within a few seconds. Callers can be located in a wide range of challenging call environments where normal GPS will not work, including inside houses and moving vehicles, under heavy foliage, and in urban street canyons. The unique SnapTrack Location on Demand(TM) feature also ensures a caller's privacy, placing location information in the hands of the user, not the network.
QCT's MSM3300(TM) Mobile Station Modem (MSM(TM)) solution features the highest level of wireless modem integration, incorporating gpsOne and SnapTrack technology as well as Bluetooth wireless connectivity, Moving Pictures Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3) digital music support and other multimedia functions. Handsets incorporating QCT's MSM3300 solution are expected to be available from a variety of manufacturers for the U.S. E9-1-1 mandate in the fall of 2001.
QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies is a developer and supplier of CDMA chipsets, hardware and software solutions, and tools, with more than 115 million MSM chips shipped worldwide. QCT offers wireless position location technology by SnapTrack, a wholly owned subsidiary of QUALCOMM that pioneered Wireless Assisted GPS and owns patents that are fundamental to the cost-effective deployment of assisted GPS-based location systems. QCT supplies chipsets to the world's leading CDMA handset and infrastructure manufacturers including: Acer Peripherals, Inc., ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.; CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.; FUJITSU LIMITED; Hitachi, Ltd.; Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.; KYOCERA CORPORATION; LG Information and Communications, Ltd.; Samsung Electronics Ltd.; SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.; and Toshiba Corporation, among others.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. The Company's business areas include integrated CDMA chipsets and system software; technology licensing; Eudora® email software for Windows® and Macintosh® computing platforms; satellite-based systems including portions of the Globalstar(TM) system and wireless fleet management systems, OmniTRACS® and OmniExpress(TM). QUALCOMM owns patents which are essential to all of the CDMA wireless telecommunications standards that have been adopted or proposed for adoption by standards-setting bodies worldwide. QUALCOMM has licensed its essential CDMA patent portfolio to more than 90 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2000 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of CDMA components on a timely and profitable basis, the extent and speed to which CDMA is deployed, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 26, 1999, and most recent Form 10-Q.
QUALCOMM, OmniTRACS and Eudora are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. gpsOne, MSM3300 and OmniExpress are trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. SnapTrack, Wireless Assisted GPS and Location on Demand are trademarks of SnapTrack, Inc. Globalstar is a trademark of Loral QUALCOMM Satellite Services, Incorporated. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
