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Technology Stocks : Vesper -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	12/17/2001 8:45:51 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 56

Top Wireless Operators (including Vesper) in Latin America Join QUALCOMM's BREW Initiative [Yes, I am only posting this to try to make sure that SI does not delete this thread any time soon. Jon.] SAN DIEGO--Dec. 17, 2001--QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced that it has signed non-binding memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with leading wireless operators from around the world including BellSouth in Guatemala, Telcel-Bellsouth in Venezuela, and Vesper in Brazil, to provide products and services based on QUALCOMM's Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless(TM) (BREW(TM)) applications platform. Korean device manufacturer KTF Technologies also signed an MOU to port the BREW platform to their wireless handsets. "We are very pleased to add such a significant group of carriers to the BREW network that stretches across the globe," said Peggy Johnson, president of QUALCOMM Internet Services. "These companies add to the growing list of industry leaders working to bring a genuinely useful wireless Internet to their respective markets. BREW-enabled products and services will give consumers around the world the ability to personalize their wireless handsets by downloading -- over the air -- the applications they want and need, virtually anytime, anywhere." CONTACT: QUALCOMM Incorporated Alison Graves, QUALCOMM Internet Services 858/651-4348, Fax: 858/845-1254 agraves@qualcomm.com or Patty Goodwin, Corporate Public Relations 858/651-4127, Fax: 858/651-5873 pgoodwin@qualcomm.com or Julie Cunningham, Investor Relations 858/658-4224, Fax: 858/651-9303 jcunningham@qualcomm.com

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	1/5/2002 12:26:07 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 56

AP News -- Mobile phones in Latin America now outnumber telephones linked to fixed lines. January 4, 2002 Latin America Cell Phones Grow By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 9:14 p.m. ET MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mobile phones in Latin America now outnumber telephones linked to fixed lines, according to an industry report released Friday. Countries in the region appear to be skipping the expense of upgrading poor fixed-line networks by using less-cumbersome wireless and mobile-phone technology, which includes cellular phones. At the end of 2001, 18 countries in Latin America had 83.4 million mobile phone users, or 17 percent of households, compared to the region's 83 million fixed lines, said Daniel Torras, the report's author and director of the Latin America division for the telecommunications consulting firm Pyramid Research in Cambridge, Mass. The survey excludes most of the Caribbean and small nations like Belize or the Guyanas. While poor infrastructure makes wireless telephone services more accessible for many Latin Americans, prices for wireless hookups remain higher. But costs are expected to fall, the report noted. The total number of wireless subscribers in Latin America rose by 34.8 percent in 2001, yet revenue only rose by 14.8 percent to $22 billion. The majority of new subscribers in the region buy prepaid service plans, which bring in less revenue, the report said. The average revenue per subscriber actually fell 19.1 percent in 2001, with usage dropping to an average of 99 minutes a month last year. The average subscriber used 99 minutes each month last year, rather than 112 minutes in 2000. ------ On the Net: pyramidresearch.com Copyright 2002 The Associated Press

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	1/21/2002 11:52:17 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 56

Cheaper handsets coming to Brazil from Qualcomm : Qualcomm pushes its technology Brazil, Jan 17, 2002 (Gazeta Mercantil/SABI via COMTEX) -- With increasing competition in the Brazilian cell phone industry, there is a need for companies to offer less expensive phones to lower income customers. This is the request being made by companies like Telesp Celular, Telefonica Celular and Vesper, users of the CDMA technolgy, to Qualcomm, the equipment manufacturer. These companies, with 10.5mil clients, are responsible for around 10% of Qualcomm's annual global income of US$3bil. In response to the demand for cheaper phones, Qualcomm is going to launch a new series of chips which will reduce the final price of a phone by US$20 to US$30. The president of Qualcomm, Mr. Jeff Jacobs, is also advising companies using the CDMA technology to preoccupy themselves less with gaining lower income customers, as these companies already have conquered a more affluent market, one which provides a better return. Qualcomm's goals for Brazil this year are to keep its current customers satisfied and to persuade at least one company currently using TDMA technology to migrate to CDMA. Copyright (c) 2002, South American Business Information, All rights reserved.

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	2/28/2002 12:32:09 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 56

Vesper mentioned in a couple of SI Leap Wireless posts : (I will freely admit that this is (again) an attempt to keep this message board "alive") (since SI will shut down "dormant" threads ...) Message 17124189 SI: StockTalk: Communications : Leap Wireless International (LWIN) To:slacker711 who wrote (1553) From: arun gera Wednesday, Feb 27, 2002 4:49 PM Respond to 1555 of 1563 Slacker: On another note, LWIN provided some additional data on non-cash cost of service for CDMA operators and LWIN. Remember our discussion on Reliance on the Qualcomm thread. It looks like my estimates of $10 per month/subscriber for operating expenses for Reliance does not look all that far fetched. Same must hold true for Vesper, which you have been following closely. Any numbers out of Vesper relevant here? Arun > Non-selling cash cost of service is $9/month/sub for a typical CDMA carrier. $5.56/month/sub for LWIN. Reason: Fewer cell sites. Cell sites only cover 70 percent of the POPs in each market. Less backhaul costs and less technicians.> ************************** Message 17125943 SI: StockTalk: Communications : Leap Wireless International (LWIN) To:arun gera who wrote (1555) From: slacker711 Wednesday, Feb 27, 2002 11:04 PM Respond to 1561 of 1563 Same must hold true for Vesper, which you have been following closely. Any numbers out of Vesper relevant here? Unfortunately, I have been able to find very little on any of Vesper's operating metrics. It doesn't seem like even the Brazilian newspapers and magazines pay much attention to them (at least that I have been able to find). It seems like they are copying Leap's model of allowing unlimited calling time. vesper.com.br There are two different pricing plans. One is for R$59 ($25) and the other is for R$99 ($42). I think the extra $17 gives you long distance minutes enclosed in the plan. These prices seem high to me but Qualcomm seemed to indicate that subscriber growth was going well. Slacker *************************

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	2/28/2002 12:49:21 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 56

Anatel investigates Vesper Portatil RELATED SYMBOLS: (QCOM) (Yey ! More Vesper news). (This was first posted here : Message 17119607 ). Brazil, Feb 26, 2002 (O Estado de Sao Paulo/SABI via COMTEX) -- Vesper Portatil, a product launched by Vesper in November 2001 and which enables the acquisition of fixed phone line on a mobile equipment, may be suspended. Besides the accusation made by Telesp Celular based on a study by CPqD, Anatel (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes) says there are other accusations against the system. The study made by Telesp points out that the equipment commercialized by Vesper enables the use outside a cell area that may have between 500 meters and 4 KM. The controversy surrounding the issue was created because Vesper has license to operate in the fixed communication and not on the mobile one. The product marked the return of Vesper to the residential market after losses of US$1.1bil. Its shareholders Qualcomm and VeloCom injected US$346mil in the company. By late 2001, the number of subscribers of Vesper Portatil amounted to 550,000 people in the 17 states it operates. Copyright (c) 2002, South American Business Information, All rights reserved. -0-

To: slacker711 who wrote (3)	3/18/2002 9:24:06 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 56

Qualcomm to divest itself of Vesper. (This is from : Message 17211174 I have not confirmed this anywhere else (yet)). ****************************************** Qualcomm to divest itself of Vesper RELATED SYMBOLS: (QCOM) Brazil, Mar 14, 2002 (O Globo/SABI via COMTEX) -- Qualcomm intends to divest itself of its participation in Vesper as soon as possible. The company describes its share in Vesper as not being part of its current focus, which is the adoption of the CDMA technology by cell phone companies. Qualcomm generally invests in phone companies which commit themselves to using the technology and later selling its shares, as it does want to remain on as a majority shareholder. Last November, Qualcomm directed the restructuring of Vesper, and renegotiated the company's debt, injecting R$266mil and increasing its participation in Vesper from 16% to 70.5% END.