Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Caxton Rhodes who wrote (8679)	2/19/1998 4:54:00 PM
From: bananawind	Respond to of 152472

While we are discussing standards and protocols: techweb.com Wireless Group Publishes Mobile Specification (02/19/98; 11:50 a.m. EST) By Jeremy Scott-Joynt, Total Telecom LONDON -- The Wireless Application Protocol Forum has unveiled its specification for a single, top-to-bottom system for mobile information devices. The 550-page draft specification, which the forum threw open for public comment Thursday, goes well beyond the Web-based information delivery system the forum has addressed to date. According to the forum's founders -- Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, and Unwired Planet -- the protocol will attempt to roll all mobile-phone functionality into a single package. The functionality ranges from core functions, such as call redirection, to handling Internet information such as Web pages and e-mail. The reason, according to Sanjay Jhawar, Motorola's European business manager for the Wireless Application Protocol, is to ensure complete scalability and interoperability. The protocol is designed to let all devices -- from single-line phone screens to fully fledged smart phones -- take the same information and data, handle it in the same way, but display it according to the characteristics of the device. It should also let data be carried over any transport system, from short messaging services to packet data networks. But Jhawar stressed the all-on-one design would not leave the network open to abuse, since the wireless telephony application browser -- the application intended to handle network-level functionality -- would be separated from the rest of the system. "We want to make sure hackers can't get from the Internet into the telecom network," he said. Once members and others have made their comments, the protocol will be submitted to the relevant standards bodies in Europe, the United States, and Japan, said Chuck Parrish, Unwired Planet's executive vice president. "This has the potential to be a worldwide standard," he said.

To: Caxton Rhodes who wrote (8679)	2/19/1998 5:03:00 PM
From: bananawind	Respond to of 152472

LMDS auction: techweb.com FCC Auctions Wireless Broadband Licenses (02/18/98; 6:12 p.m. EST) By Mary Mosquera, TechWeb The Federal Communications Commission put another chunk of airwaves for phone, television, and Internet service up for sale Wednesday in an attempt to spur competition. The government agency is auctioning operating licenses for local multipoint distribution service (LMDS), a broadband, point-to-multipoint technology. The promise of LMDS is its potential for one-way and two-way voice, video, and data. The new service is expected to be able to offer video programming and teleconferencing, wireless local phone service, and high-speed Internet at a lower price than fiber-optic or cable networks. Broadband technology is a cost-effective way to provide services that have been prohibitively expensive on traditional phone lines, according to Jack Reagan, a telecommunications analyst with Baltimore brokerage Legg Mason. "You don't have to wait to have the phone company dig up streets to put in lines, and the quality is much better than current copper wire phone technology." The technology is best used for the "final mile" -- from the provider to the customer. The service provider uses a master antenna to interconnect to local and long distance services, beaming signals to a dish that connects to the customer's phone lines or PBX system. The FCC hopes such technology will speed up multichannel video programming and local exchange service competition, which has been slow to develop among the fiber-optic and cable network providers. Reagan said LMDS would allow providers to offer affordable services to the small and medium-sized business market, which amounts to $57 billion in local and long distance charges every year. The cost of wiring an entire building for LMDS service is about $20,000, low enough that small and mid-sized businesses, and perhaps groups of apartment building residents, will be able to afford it. But only increased competition and development of the technology will bring the price to a reasonable per-household rate. The auction is limited to certain participants; cable companies and Baby Bells are not allowed to own LMDS licenses in their respective service areas for three years. However, they can own a 20 percent stake in a company licensed in the service area or hold a license in a market area other than their own. The FCC has also attempted to generate greater competition in the auction by giving steep discounts on the licenses to smaller bidders. However, that attempt has backfired somewhat, as many of the bidders show little revenue on their income statement, but are rich in assets or venture funding. So far, 139 companies have bid on 986 licenses, two in each of the 493 markets around the nation. The highest bidder is WNP Communications, a venture-backed firm, which plunked down $100 million. Nextband Communications, partly owned by Nextel Communications, put up $50 million, the second largest amount. Despite the big numbers, Reagan said, smaller competitors will get their chance at the licenses after venture-funding license holders go in search of operators or sell out entirely. The government is looking to collect $4 billion from auctions, but analysts say the final number will probably be closer to $2 billion. Restrictions preventing major telecom providers from participating may have scared off the contenders with the deepest pockets.

To: Caxton Rhodes who wrote (8679)	2/19/1998 7:23:00 PM
From: Ramsey Su	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

Caxton, there is one more thought on this 3G W-CDMA standard thing. It now appears that everyone had acknowledged QCOM's IPR as a potential "road block". Some of the articles also stated that these rights have to be resolved before they can continue. What if QCOM comes back with 10% or go to hell? Does that mean back to the drawing board for a new how-to-get-around-and-screw-QCOM-W-CDMA technology and standard? Is it technically possible? How much time would that take? In the mean time, QCOM can be stockpiling more patents, making it harder and harder for them to proceed. By the way, what did you put in the wine you gave Maurice? Just a few minutes off the plane and he is rambling already. Ramsey