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

To: 2brasil who wrote (13464)	8/7/1998 5:41:00 PM
From: w2j2	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 152472

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Qualcomm Inc. has refused to lend its technology to an international effort to standardize the next generation of cellular-communication technology, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Saturday morning edition. The company's refusal could jeopardize Japan's plans to join in an international standard for cellular communications. However, the newspaper said many industry officials believe that Qualcomm's stance is merely an attempt to leverage its key position in wireless communications into a bigger payoff. Qualcomm (QCOM) reportedly conveyed the information to the European group that is jointly pursuing with Japan the standardization of the technology, the newspaper reported. Qualcomm is a pioneer in the digital cellular-phone technology called wideband CDMA, or code division multiple access, and holds much of the basic technology necessary for the initiative to succeed. Wideband CDMA would be designed to transmit high-speed graphics, video and other data as well as voice calls. That capability would make it a natural follow-on to today's "narrowband" cellular networks that handle only voice calls and relatively slow data transmission. For more than a year, Japan has been mounting a serious bid for global leadership in cellular-phone technology, and the giant Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. hopes to offer the world's first next-generation cellular-phone service in Japan. NTT has pushed wideband CDMA as the future global standard - one that, if widely adopted, could help eliminate the hodgepodge of cellular standards that plague international travelers. Japan, Europe and the U.S. all use incompatible cellular technologies, forcing travelers from one location to rent phones whenever they visit one of the others. To that end, NTT has assiduously courted the aid of foreign telecom-equipment makers, including Qualcomm, Motorola Inc. and Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson of Sweden. Qualcomm's stance, however, may complicate that effort. Many in the industry believe Qualcomm is playing tough, seeking to negotiate the best conditions - such as higher patent payments - for its participation. But if Qualcomm fails to budge, analysts say a global standard will be impossible to reach, even though other U.S., Japanese and European players will continue to negotiate. This, analysts say, could delay introduction of the next-generation cellular phone service in Japan, which is slated for fiscal 2000. Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.