Qualcomm Joining LTE in Search of Practicality

While competition for 4G technology development is getting heated, Qualcomm, which offers OFDM/OFDMA patent portfolio, recently decided to join the LTE group. As Qualcomm had developed its own Ultra Mobile Broadband 4G service, the decision is expected to send a ripple effect across the industry.
 
Qualcomm’s decision is thought as a choice for practicality because LTE has increasingly been the mega trend while UMB has lost steam thanks to the global economic crisis.
 
The biggest advantage for joining LTE group is that world’s leading mobile operators, Verizon, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo and China Mobile have opted for LTE thus offering foundation for the economy of scale. Mobile WiMax was already commercialized and more mobile operators are launching the service. But, general consensus is that the service will be for niche markets.
 
Another cannot-miss opportunity for Qualcomm is that the LTE group is rushing to offer trial 4G service. China Mobile allegedly plans to focus much of its R&D capacity on LTE by opening a lab in early next year and launching a trial service at the end of next year.
 
DoCoMo is also ambitious to be the first 4G service provider around the world. DoCoMo offers beta test opportunities to service providers interested in LTE service. Samsung Electronics, which focuses on mobile WiMax for now, also said that it is in full gear to begin the service when the time is right.