Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that in October 1997 it signed a multi-million dollar, royalty-bearing license agreement for cdmaOne Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) with PrairieComm, Inc. Under terms of the agreement, Qualcomm granted PrairieComm a license to develop, manufacture and sell cdmaOne ASICs to Qualcomm's subscriber equipment licensees for cellular, Personal Communications Services (PCS) and wireless local loop (WLL) applications worldwide.
"Through this licensing agreement with PrairieComm, an established provider of chipsets for the cellular phone market, we can further accelerate the development and deployment of commercial CDMA products to meet the growing market demand," said Steve Altman, executive vice president and general manager of Qualcomm's Technology Transfer Division.
"CDMA technology has tremendous momentum around the globe and there is substantial demand for baseband ASIC devices," said Thomas Farmer, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for PrairieComm. "Our CDMA ASIC license agreement with Qualcomm allows us to bring a world-class single chip solution to wireless subscriber equipment marketplace. With the addition of this baseband ASIC to our portfolio, PrairieComm is now addressing all of the U.S. analog and digital cellular and PCS standards."
CDMA is the digital technology of choice for digital cellular and PCS in the United States. CDMA offers higher voice quality with longer talk and standby times and greater wireless access to millions of subscribers.
PrairieComm, Inc., based in Arlington, Illinois, develops and markets chipsets, embedded software and licensed intellectual property to the wireless personal communications industry. The company has a strong background in the development of wireless subscriber products from a systems perspective. That strength is leveraged in the development of products hallmarked by a superior performance, low power consumption, mixed-signal integration and small die size. For further information on PrairieComm and its products, please visit the company's web site at http://www.prairiecomm.com or call (847) 797-0280.
Headquartered in San Diego, Qualcomm develops, manufactures, markets, licenses and operates advanced communications systems and products based on its proprietary digital wireless technologies. The Company's primary product areas are the OmniTRACS® system (a geostationary satellite-based, mobile communications system providing two-way data and position reporting services), CDMA wireless communications systems and products and, in conjunction with others, the development of the Globalstar™ low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite communications system. Other Company products include the Eudora Pro™ electronic mail software, ASIC products, and communications equipment and systems for government and commercial customers worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.qualcomm.com/.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including timely product development, 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 28, 1997 and most recent Form 10-Q.
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