Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a maker of mobile processors and chips for wireless communications. The headquarters of the company is located in San Diego (California, USA).

Performance indicators

Main article: Qualcomm's financial performance

The fiscal year ends at the end of September.

2023: A 19% drop in annual revenue to $35.82 billion due to a collapse in demand for smartphones; 44% drop in profit to $7.23 billion

In fiscal 2023, which ended on September 24, 2023, Qualcomm raised $35.82 billion, which is 19% less than a year ago, equal to $44.2 billion. The net profit of the American microprocessor developer decreased even more - by 44%, to $7.23 billion. Such figures are given in the statements that the company published on September 1, 2023.

Qualcomm's revenue collapse was largely due to lower demand for smartphones. Sales of the corresponding chips from the company in fiscal 2023 decreased by 22% on an annualized basis and amounted to $22.57 billion. In addition, revenues from the supply of chips for the Internet of things fell by 19% - to $5.94 billion. Qualcomm noted that by the beginning of November 2023, the first signs of a recovery in demand were observed in the smartphone market, so the financial situation of the chipmaker should improve in the future.

Qualcomm's automotive electronics business showed growing sales: the specialized division for the 12-month period, closed at the end of September 2023, recorded revenue of $1.87 billion, which is 24% more than a year earlier.

It also follows from the company's reporting that the division, which develops all types of chips, registered a 19 percent decline in revenue on an annualized basis in 2023, to $30.38 billion. The licensing business brought the company $5.31 billion, which is 17% less than in fiscal 2022. Qualcomm charges licensing fees to smartphone makers for using its patents.

Due to the fact that the company's revenues and forecast exceeded Wall Street's expectations, the microprocessor manufacturer's quotes rose 4% on the day of the financial statements (November 1, 2023). At the same time, since the beginning of 2023, the share price has slightly changed, Bloomberg notes.

Qualcomm Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results

Acquisitions and divestment

Main article: Acquisitions and sale of Qualcomm assets

History

2024

Qualcomm changes its mind about buying Intel because the company is on the verge of collapse

On November 26, 2024, it became known that Qualcomm had changed its mind about buying Intel as a whole. This is explained by the large number of difficulties associated with a potential deal, which could become one of the largest in the technology sector. Read more here.

FSTEC warned of a vulnerability in Qualcomm chips that could turn mobile devices into spyware

FSTEC on October 9 warned of the discovery of a fairly important vulnerability BDU:2024-07868^[1]is present in the firmware code of Qualcomm signal processors (DSP). Although the error has a non-critical level - 7.8 out of 10 according to CVSS, it can be dangerous, since it is affected by about 60 processor models that are used in various mobile devices. A low vulnerability assessment is associated with the complexity of its exploitation, but the Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has already recorded the use of this error to inject spyware into the Android operating system.

Actually,^[2] reported^[3] about detecting the bug back in late July, researcher Seth Jenkins of Google Project Zero. A vulnerability is associated with the use of memory after freeing signal processors in the microcode, which, with the proper ingenuity of the attacker, allows you to execute extraneous malicious code. However, this requires the attacker to have a sufficiently high qualification for manipulating the data structures of the attacked devices. This means that the attack cannot be massive.

A large number of devices built on the basis of various Qualcomm chipsets are susceptible to this vulnerability, "Alexey Usanov, head of security research at Positive Technologies, confirmed to TAdviser the danger of the vulnerability. - However, massive exploitation of the vulnerability is unlikely, since it depends on many factors and settings. However, in targeted attacks, when attackers prepare tools for specific purposes, the vulnerability poses a rather serious danger.

The complexity of organizing a mass attack is also due to the fact that the number of vulnerable processors is quite large - 60 models, and even firmware codes for them are also more than one version. Each model can use its own version of proprietary firmware, which requires accurate selection of the parameters of a successful attack for operation. It seems that malicious code can be executed only when the model of the device and the firmware of its DSP processor are known for sure.

In Russia, devices based on Qualcomm processors are widespread, since many popular smartphone models (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and others) use these particular chipsets, "Ruslan Permyakov, deputy director of the NTI Competence Center" Technologies of Trusted Interaction "on the basis of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radio Electronics (TUSUR). - Vulnerable processors can be installed on a huge number of devices, especially when it comes to flagship or mid-tier smartphone models released in recent years.

The danger of this vulnerability is also that not only smartphones and tablets, but also other IoT devices can be vulnerable - almost all mobile devices connected to the Internet use DSP processors to process signals from mobile networks or Wi-Fi. At the same time, not all manufacturers of smart devices report which processors are installed in them, and they do not always provide for the opportunity to update their firmware.

Potentially vulnerable devices are widespread in our country, since the number of vulnerable models of chipsets is estimated at several dozen, - said Alexey Usanov. - Including the user of the device may not be aware of a possible problem, because not always in open sources you can find information about which components make up the device. For example, it is easy to find out that a vulnerable chipset is in a mobile phone. And which chipset is installed in the telematic block of a modern car is often not known.

Spy code using an error in Qualcomm microcodes can be installed in smartphones and cars

Although Qualcomm has released firmware updates, in order for it to hit the device, it also needs to be implemented into the operating system of a specific device. Only its manufacturer can do this. Next, the user must independently update the firmware of his device, and only then the vulnerability will be closed. However, can many owners of modern cars independently update the firmware of the media center built into the car?

First of all, the developer needs to release and publicly distribute a "patch" to fix errors in the operation of devices, - recalled Igor Bederov, head of the investigation department at T.Hunter, market expert at NTI SafeNet. - If the manufacturer does not offer fixes, users can take the following steps to protect their devices: installing regular updates, using antivirus and intrusion prevention systems, restricting rights for mobile applications, encrypting data, and secure behavior on the Internet.

FSTEC also offers the use of antivirus software to prevent attempts to exploit the vulnerability.

In addition to the recommendations of the FSTEC of Russia, users can be advised to always install applications only from trusted sources, as well as use comprehensive antivirus protection from a reliable manufacturer, - Daniil Chernov, author of the Solar appScreen product, offers TAdviser readers additional protection methods.

The only trouble is that the DSP processor processes data at the physical level, that is, at the very first level of the Open Systems Interconnection - model OSI. Therefore, it is quite possible that a specially prepared radio signal can cause the exploitation of this vulnerability, and the memory reuse error after release may work even before transferring data to the mobile operating system within which the antivirus works. Protection against an attack of this level has not yet been invented, and it is unlikely to appear in the near future. Therefore, the only reliable solution is to update the firmware code of the DSP processor, although this is a rather complex process.

Qualcomm lied to investors by attributing to selling chips that didn't exist. Company fined

On June 18, 2024, Qualcomm agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit in which shareholders accused the chipmaker of fraud. It is alleged that the company hid its anti-competitive actions in the areas of product sales and licensing.

Court documents say Qualcomm artificially inflated the value of its securities between February 2012 and January 2017. According to the plaintiffs, the company has repeatedly pointed out that sales of its chips and licensing of technology are separate lines of business. In fact, Qualcomm brought them together to improve its competitive position. Such actions could mislead investors as misrepresentations pushed the share price higher.

According to reports, in Reuters January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (USA FTC) Apple sued Qualcomm, accusing the company of trying to monopolize the market for baseband processors for cellular devices. In particular, Apple said Qualcomm used its dominant position in the chipset market smartphones to inflate product prices and create "onerous and expensive" technology licensing conditions. Qualcomm itself does not recognize the accusations against it, calling the claims unfounded.

An agreement to settle the dispute and pay compensation has been sent to federal court in San Diego. The defendants in this lawsuit, which has been given collective status, are Qualcomm itself, as well as six individuals, including former CEOs Paul Jacobs and Steven Mollenkopf. They deny carrying out illegal activities, despite agreeing to settle the proceedings.^[4]

2023

2.5% of employees laid off as demand for chips collapses

On October 2, 2023, Qualcomm sent documents to the California Department of Employment Development indicating an upcoming reorganization. This process will reduce headcount by approximately 2.5%.

Qualcomm has faced a decline in demand for microchips for mobile devices, which has reduced cash flows. In addition, macroeconomic difficulties, high inflation and the crisis in the United States have a negative impact on the company's business. Against this background, Qualcomm is forced to look for ways to reduce costs, and one of them is the dismissal of employees.

In addition, according to forecasts of Gartner analysts, the volume of the global chip market in 2023 will decrease by 11.2% compared to 2022 and will amount to $532 billion. Researchers attributed weak demand for consumer electronics, an oversupply of chip supplies and lower prices for them to the reasons for this decline.

As of September 2022, the company employed about 51 thousand employees. It is reported that the upcoming cuts will affect two California offices - in San Diego and Santa Clara: in the first, 1,064 people will lose their jobs, in the second - 194. Thus, in total, Qualcomm will say goodbye to 1,258 employees. It is known that 750 of them work in various engineering positions - up to and including senior management. The remaining cuts will affect various departments, including internal technical divisions and accounting. It is planned to complete the reorganization process by December 13, 2023: the dismissed employees will receive cash compensation and other due payments. After that, both offices will continue their daily activities.

Given the continuing macroeconomic uncertainties and declining demand, we are forced to take additional restructuring actions to secure further investment in key areas. In this regard, we expect to incur significant additional expenses, a significant part of which will be in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, Qualcomm said in a statement.[5]

Apple contract extension for three years

In September 2023, Apple announced that it was extending an agreement to supply semiconductors for modems from Qualcomm Inc. for another three years, indicating that ambitious plans to develop chips in-house take longer than expected. The agreement between the companies was supposed to end in 2023.

The new agreement will apply to "the release of smartphones in 2024, 2025 and 2026," Qualcomm said in a statement.

Create a company to develop an open RISC-V architecture

On August 4, 2023, Qualcomm, NXP Semiconductors, Infineon Technologies, Nordic Semiconductor and Bosch announced the formation of an alliance to develop the RISC-V open processor architecture. Read more here.

2022

Stoppage of supplies to Russia amid US sanctions

Chipmaker Qualcomm has stopped selling products in Russia. This was announced on March 16 on Twitter by Nate Tibbits, senior vice president of government relations at the company. He explained the refusal to sell with sanctions against Russia, which were introduced by the United States, against the background of Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

We comply with US sanctions and laws and do not sell products to Russian companies, "Tibbits wrote.

A Qualcomm representative responded with a tweet to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mikhail Fedorov, who said that the company continues to work in Russia. Tibbits also announced support for charitable organizations that provide assistance to Ukraine from the company.

Prior to that, the company stated that Russia and Ukraine account for less than 1% of all its revenue^[6].

Qualcomm's Russian division did not specify TAdviser to whom or what their company directly sold in Russia.

Qualcomm is not only Snapdragon, but also simpler chips, writes one user on Habra. - In particular, many SimCom GSM modules are assembled on the Qualcomm chipset and they are likely to be banned too. NB IoT is nearly 100% Qualcomm. We are now feverishly looking for how to replace the N21.. module. That is, these sanctions can paralyze Russian[7] Russian Federation

It also follows from public reports that Qualcomm, for example, interacted with Russian operators in the field of projects for the development of 5G networks.

A week earlier, Qualcomm closed access to its corporate site from Russian IP addresses. When accessing the main page, a system error message is issued - Access denied, Error 1009 with the explanation that "the owner of this website (www.qualcomm.com) has denied the country or region in which your IP address (RU) is located access to this website."

Qualcomm has joined the demarche of technology companies from the Russian market or restricting their activities on it. Earlier, AMD and Intel Nvidia many companies from other IT sectors have already made statements about the termination of supplies to Russia.

Building a Company for Metaverse Development in Europe

In early February 2022, Qualcomm announced the creation of XR Labs in Europe to further develop a community of developers of augmented and virtual reality tools, as well as technologies for metaverse. Read more here.

2021

Purchase of a datacet developer to teach AI how to work with Twenty Billion Neurons videos

In mid-July 2021, Qualcomm announced the purchase of a video training datacet developer artificial intelligence. Twenty Billion Neurons Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. More. here

Cristiano Amon is Qualcomm's new CEO

On January 5, 2021, Qualcomm announced a CEO change. Steve Mollenkopf's seat will be taken by Cristiano Amon, whose candidacy was unanimously supported by members of the company's board of directors. Read more here.

2019

Among the largest companies in the semiconductor industry by revenue

Opening a laboratory in Europe to work with 5G networks

On July 24, 2019, Qualcomm Technologies announced the opening of a test facility for working with 5G networks in Europe. It was a laboratory designed to comprehensively study and test the capabilities of mmWave wireless networks, which is located at Qualcomm Technologies Research Center in Farnborough, UK. In this lab, device OEMs and European mobile operators will be able to test and select the optimal network settings for various mmWave-enabled solutions. Read more here.

Conviction of intentional dumping on 3G modems and a fine of $272 million

On July 22, 2019, information appeared that Qualcomm was convicted of deliberately dumping 3G communication modems from 2009 to 2011. According to Bloomberg, Qualcomm sought to survive Icera, a serious player at that time, from the third-generation network modem market.

Qualcomm sold its 3G modems at an artificially low price to all its strategic partners, including ZTE and Huawei. As you know, after Trump's May decrees, Qualcomm ceased cooperation with Huawei.

Qualcomm's guilt was proved by the European Commission, and as a punishment, the antimonopoly regulator imposed a fine of $272 million. Qualcomm's underestimation of prices for 3G modems during this period led to Icera's inability to compete on equal terms with it even if its chips were not inferior in data transfer speed. The report on the investigation of the European Commission said so: the high performance of Icera chips threatened Qualcomm's "modem" business.

The actions of the American chip maker led to the gradual withdrawal of Icera from the market - in 2011 it was acquired by Nvidia, which is mainly engaged in GPUs. Icera has grown from an independent company into Nvidia's communications chip development division, but it ceased to exist in 2015. The purchase of Icera cost Nvidia $367 million.

The European Commission spent four years conducting the investigation. As representatives of the department noted, the punishment chosen for Qualcomm should show other market participants that artificial dumping is unacceptable as the main strategy for seizing leadership.

Meanwhile, the fine of $272 million amounted to only about 1.27% of Qualcomm's turnover for calendar 2018. According to experts from The Verge, the punishment chosen by the antimonopoly regulator will hardly greatly affect the company's activities and force its management to switch to the use of legal methods of combating competitors, especially since it was not the first time that she was accused of this, and earlier she was issued with larger fines.^[8]

Ban on communication with Huawei employees

On June 10, 2019, it became known that several large technology companies banned their employees from all communication with Huawei Technologies employees due to sanctions imposed by the American government on the Chinese manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and mobile devices.

According to the Reuters news agency, citing people familiar with the situation, all informal contacts with people working in Huawei were limited to Intel and Qualcomm, as well as the research company InterDigital Wireless and the South Korean mobile operator LG Uplus. Read more here.

Qualcomm demands too much money from companies - court ruling

Qualcomm illegally squeezed competition in the mobile chip market and used its dominant position to demand too much licensing fees from its customers. This decision was made by federal judge Lucy Koh.

According to her, Qualcomm violated antitrust laws by charging unreasonably high deductions for its patents and squeezing competitors out of the market. We are talking about royalties - a percentage of sales. smartphones

Qualcomm's licensing practices have stifled competition in key segments of the modem market over the years... and harmed competitors, equipment manufacturers and end users, the court said in its ruling.

Lucy Koch added that the company's leadership in developing 5G chips for smartphones could lead to Qualcomm's behavior continuing.

The judge demanded that Qualcomm revise the license agreements with customers and eliminate dishonest conditions in them, including threats to reduce or stop the supply of chips.

Qualcomm will also have to license its patents to rival semiconductor manufacturers on fair terms and at reasonable prices. The companies have been banned from signing exclusive agreements with smartphone manufacturers, such as Apple, that discourage chip sales by competitors.

In addition, the chipmaker is obliged to report to the Federal Trade Commission annually for seven years on compliance with court requirements.

On the day this court verdict was passed, Qualcomm shares fell 10.9%, and the market capitalization fell by $10 billion.

Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg said the company "strongly disagrees with the judge's findings, its interpretation of the facts and the application of the law."^[9]

Qualcomm punished Apple and will receive $6 billion and $9 from each iPhone sold

In mid-April 2019, Qualcomm and Apple signed a conciliatory agreement, as a result of which the companies abandoned mutual claims and curtailed all legal and patent proceedings. Analysts at investment bank UBS have calculated how much this truce will cost the iPhone manufacturer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Apple must pay Qualcomm a certain amount one-time. UBS estimates it at $5-6 billion. Earlier it was reported that Apple suppliers owed Qualcomm about $7 billion in royalties for using patented technologies.

As part of the agreement, a licensing agreement was also concluded between the technology giants to pay Apple royalties for chips created using Qualcomm technology. What kind of deductions are in question have not been officially announced.

However, Qualcomm indicated that this deal will increase the company's earnings per share by $2. According to UBS calculations, Apple will pay Qualcomm from $8 to $9 for each iPhone sold. Previously released court documents reported $7.5.

Analysts say the settlement of the conflict, which has spread to several continents, has cost Apple dearly, but because of these proceedings, the corporation may not have had time to release 5G-enabled phones. Intel, which is the main supplier of modems (chips for connecting devices to cellular networks) for the iPhone, has officially refused to create such 5G-compatible solutions for mobile devices. Manufacturers other than Qualcomm are not able to equip Apple with a large volume of 5G modems.

The release from the iPhone with support for fifth-generation networks is expected in 2020. If this does not happen, then Apple will lag far behind competitors, who already in 2019 began to produce 5G tubes.

In the three days since the announcement of the agreement, Apple and Qualcomm rose 2% and 38%, respectively.^[10]

The court ordered Qualcomm to return Apple promised discounts of $1 billion

On March 14, 2019, the US District Court for the Southern District of California ordered Qualcomm to pay Apple $1 billion, which the American chipmaker promised to transfer to the iPhone manufacturer as a discount for the exclusive use of modem chips (used to connect phones to cellular networks).

Such an agreement appeared in the patent fee agreement concluded by Qualcomm and Apple. Under the agreement, contract manufacturers assembling phones for Apple pay Qualcomm royalties for using patented technology, and Apple reimburses partners. According to Reuters, contract workers with whom Apple cooperates had to transfer billions of dollars to Qualcomm annually.

Qualcomm promised Apple to compensate for part of the payments for patents if the latter does not sue or appeal to regulators with complaints about the chipmaker. However, Qualcomm stopped paying compensation at one point, saying Apple had violated the terms of the arrangement.

Apple has begun urging other smartphone makers to complain to regulators and has made "false and misleading" statements by the Korea Fair Trade Commission, Qualcomm said.

An American court sided with Apple and ruled that Qualcomm would have to return the promised $1 billion to its opponent.

Qualcomm's illegal business practices are hurting Apple and the entire industry, Apple said in a statement.

Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg said the court does not consider Apple's behavior as a violation of the terms of the 2013 Business Cooperation and Patent Agreement (2013 Business Cooperation and Patent Agreement), but the disclosure of Apple's role in these events was a long-awaited event.^[11]

Qualcomm paid Apple $1 billion to become sole supplier of chips for iPhone

In January 2019, it became known that Qualcomm paid Apple $1 billion for exclusive supplies of chips for the iPhone. After several years of cooperation, the companies stopped it.

The fact that Apple demanded from Qualcomm a "incentive payment" of $1 billion for the opportunity for the American chipmaker to supply modem chips (used to connect phones to cellular networks) alone, said Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf in federal court in San Jose. The iPhone maker wanted to use the funds to offset the technical costs associated with the transition from Infineon Technologies chips to Qualcomm products.

According to Mollenkopf, incentive payments are common customer practice, but Qualcomm has not previously paid such a large amount that Apple requested.

Qualcomm became the sole supplier of iPhone modems in 2011 and pledged to give Apple a discount when purchasing chips, the size of which was not disclosed.

Steve Mollenkopf told the court that Apple did not provide any guarantees regarding the number of chips it was going to order. The terms of the agreement allowed that Apple could attract other suppliers, but in this case the corporation would lose the discount and purchase microcircuits at standard prices.

According to Tony Blevins, who is in charge of supply chains at Apple, Qualcomm offered "very, very large discounts," as a result of which cooperation with other contractors became unattractive.^[12]

However, Apple was still unhappy with working with Qualcomm due to heavy royalties. Apple paid Qualcomm $7.5 for each smartphone sold, but considered a reasonable deduction of $1.5.

According to Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, the company wanted to use Qualcomm modems in the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR models, but the chipmaker refused to sell the chips after the trial began.

2018

Apple banned from selling iPhones in China at Qualcomm's request

On December 14, 2018, Apple announced the release of an update for iOS, thanks to which the company hopes to avoid a ban on sales of some iPhone models in China. This ban was imposed on Qualcomm, which accused the opponent of violating two patents. Read more here.

Reduce Data Center Solution Deployments from 1,000 to 50

In early December 2018, it became known about a 20-fold decrease in the number of personnel in the Qualcomm data center solutions division - from 1000 people who worked earlier in 2018 to 50 employees.

The mass layoffs in Qualcomm were written by The Information, citing its sources. A company representative, in a conversation with the CRN portal, confirmed the liquidation of the workers' position, but noted that the personnel purge affected "several divisions," and not just the technology business for data centers.

Qualcomm is cutting investment in the data center business, but remains committed to its business commitments and future computing capabilities at the edge of 5G networks and cloud-based artificial intelligence solutions. Qualcomm plans to continue to maintain a joint venture with HXT in China. We are fully focused on the implementation of our 5G program, the American company said.

The layoffs were another sign of a decrease in Qualcomm's ambitions in the data center hardware chip market, dominated by Intel. As part of this business, Qualcomm invested hundreds of millions of dollars, and also attracted a number of large customers, including Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Bloomberg reports.

According to the news agency, the chipmaker's efforts were in vain after Broadcom's failed attempt to acquire Qualcomm. As a result, the server division lost potentially a lot of financial support, and Qualcomm investors came to the need to reduce costs. In addition, the legal confrontation with Apple affected.

From February 2019, the company will begin cutting 269 jobs at offices in San Diego (California) and Raleigh (North Carolina), according to Qualcomm's statement^[13]

Qualcomm: Apple owes us $7 billion

During the court hearing, which took place on October 26, 2018, a Qualcomm representative said that Apple she owed the company $7 billion in payments for the use of patents.

Apple categorically denies such debt and says Qualcomm forces it to pay for the same patents twice, since the semiconductor manufacturer has already received money for using chips in the iPhone.

Qualcomm insists its practice is legal and claims Apple is trying to destroy Quaclomm's proposed business model after agreeing to it for years.

Apple has sued Qualcomm, accusing its opponent of abusing its market position. The iPhone maker claims that Qualcomm, as the largest chip maker, set "bondage, unreasonable and expensive" conditions for licensing its patents, and also prevented Apple from choosing another chip supplier. The amount of claims is $1 billion.

Qualcomm filed a counterclaim against Apple, in turn, accusing the company of violating the agreements and agreements concluded, interfering in Qualcomm's agreements with third companies, pursuing Qualcomm with the help of regulators around the world, and also "does not use the full performance of Qualcomm chips in smartphones.

In late September 2018, Qualcomm accused Apple of stealing confidential information and trade secrets, followed by the transfer of data to Intel.

The illegal use of Qualcomm's production secrets to help a competitor catch up with us is causing us irreparable damage. This should not be allowed to continue, - said then Qualcomm Executive Vice President Donald Rosenberg[14]

Announcement of the first 5G NR modules for the millimeter band

In 2018, Qualcomm introduced its first 5G NR modules for the millimeter band and radio module with support for frequencies up to 6 GHz.

Previously, signals in the millimeter band were not used for mobile wireless communications due to the large number of technical and design difficulties. QTM052 mmWave modules, working in tandem with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem, overcame these obstacles, allowing OEM ­ manufacturers to access high 5G NR mmWave speeds without changing the industrial design of their devices.

Qualcomm cuts staff

Qualcomm has launched a massive staff reduction under the savings program, which aims to reduce costs by $1 billion. According to Bloomberg sources, as a result of the reduction in work, up to 1.5 thousand employees may lose. ABC 10 News, based in San Diego, USA, that is, in the same city as Qualcomm itself, also announces the dismissal of more than 1,000 workers, citing its own sources^[15].

The cuts will affect both temporary and permanent workers. Qualcomm said it first considered other cost-cutting schemes that did not involve employee layoffs. However, it was subsequently decided to reduce the staff for the sake of long-term growth and the benefit of shareholders.

US president blocks Qualcomm sale to Singapore rival

US President Donald Trump issued a presidential decree in March 2018 blocking the takeover by the Singaporean company Broadcom of the American semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm. As a reason for the ban, Trump pointed to national^[16] the^[17] in^[18]

According to the text of the decree, there is "reliable evidence" that if Broadcom acquires Qualcomm, it "can take actions that threaten the deterioration of the national security of the United States."

Recall that Broadcom intended to buy Qualcomm for $117 billion. The deal was supposed to be the largest acquisition in the history of the electronic industry. It would overshadow the $67 billion acquisition of Dell technology manufacturer EMC in 2015.

Fine of 1 billion euros for Apple kickbacks

On January 24, 2018, the European Commission, the main antitrust regulator in Europe, announced that Qualcomm was fined almost 1 billion euros for kickbacks in favor of Apple.

Qualcomm paid billions of American dollars to a key client - Apple - to avoid buying chips from competitors, says Margrethe Vestager, a member of the European Commission for Competition. - These payments did not just reduce the price - they were made as a condition that Apple fully use Qualcomm's baseband chipsets in all its iPhones and iPads. That meant no other company could effectively compete with Qualcomm in that market, no matter how good its products were.

By decision of the European Commission, Qualcomm will pay 997 million euros, or 4.9% of revenue for 2017. At the same time, there are no sanctions on Apple for Qualcomm's attempts to monopolize the market.

According to analysts at Macquarie Capital, in 2016 Qualcomm sold Apple baseband chips used to connect mobile devices to mobile networks for about $3.2 billion, which roughly corresponds to a tenth of the American chipmaker's revenue. At the same time, Apple's patent payments to Qualcomm amounted to about $2.6 billion.

Experts say Qualcomm's technology outperforms competitors in certain aspects. In particular, the company offers a mobile chip with support for data transfer at a speed of 1 Gbps, while Intel and MediaTek have not yet demonstrated such indicators in their commercial products.

The European Commission said in a statement that Apple's internal documents give reason to believe that during cooperation with Qualcomm, the company planned a partial change of supplier and was considering an option with Intel. But the provision on the exclusivity of Qualcomm deliveries was a significant factor in the decision of the smartphone manufacturer not to change the supplier. Since September 2016, when the contract with Qualcomm was coming to an end, Apple began to partially purchase chips from Intel.^[19]

Main areas of activity: wireless networks, IIoT, autonomous robotization and driving

As of August 2018, among the main activities of Qualcomm:

Wireless networks

Developments focused on continuously improving performance, efficiency, and wireless connectivity for users.

5G networks

Creating new services, connecting new industries and devices to the network.

IIoT

Creation of technologies that allow using private LTE networks to implement IIoT.

Autonomous robotization

Development of platforms using integrated energy-saving solutions for different uses of robots.

Autonomous driving

Combine the capabilities of Vehicle Control Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Vehicle Systems to create a set of diverse sensors that provide ambient perception and positioning that will improve vehicle safety and autonomy.

ASIC

Production of ultra-low power platforms, processors and accelerators of the latest generation, as well as the development of improved CMOS technologies.

2017

The world's largest manufacturer of chips for mobile devices

Qualcomm is the world's largest maker of mobile device chips with a 42% market share, according to Counterpoint Research. Qualcomm's global workforce as of September 2017 totaled 33.8 thousand permanent and temporary employees. About 3.3 thousand of them were hired during the 2017 fiscal year.

Broadcom offers to buy Qualcomm for $130 billion

In early November 2017, Broadcom, one of the world's leading chipmakers, proposed the purchase of the American chipmaker Qualcomm for $105 billion. The deal, if concluded, will be the largest takeover in 2017: the transaction is estimated at about $130 billion, including Qualcomm's 25 billion debt. However, Bloomberg's informed sources warn that it will be very difficult to achieve a merger, as Qualcomm intends to resist the takeover.^[20]

Broadcom is ready to pay $70 dollars for each Qualcomm share for the opportunity to join its largest mobile chip manufacturer to its assets, which is 28% more than the chipmaker's exchange rate as of November 2, before the first reports of the planned deal appeared.

According to the agency, Qualcomm is considering the proposal it has received, but is inclined to reject it, considering the underestimated amount. However, Broadcom will not stop there and in case of refusal will directly contact Qualcomm shareholders, Bloomberg reports citing anonymous insiders.

We made a very informed and convincing offer. The conditions put forward by us are very reasonable and friendly in relation to all parties involved, in particular, to shareholders, - said the head of Broadcom Hock Tan about the upcoming transaction.

The takeover of Qualcomm will be a landmark event that significantly changes the balance of power in the semiconductor industry: Broadcom will become the third largest chipmaker in the world, second only to Intel Corporation and South Korean giant Samsung Electronics. The combined business will be responsible for supplying a range of smartphone components with over a billion annual sales.

In addition, it will be the largest merger in the technology industry: the amount of the transaction will exceed the previous record set in 2015, when Dell acquired EMC for $67 billion.

Qualcomm demanded to ban the sale and production of iPhones in China

Chinese chipmaker Qualcomm has filed lawsuits against Apple, demanding a ban on the sale and production of iPhones in China. It is reported by Bloomberg.

"Apple uses technology invented by Qualcomm and doesn't pay for it," Chinese company spokeswoman Christine Trimble said.

Qualcomm's claims relate to three patents, the agency said. At the same time, legal disputes between the two companies have been going on for months. In January, Apple demanded $145 million from Qualcomm in court.

Fine of 800 million for monopolistic activities

On October 11, 2017, the Taiwanese authorities fined Qualcomm almost $800 million for monopolistic activities. This large monetary penalty was not the first for the American manufacturer of microprocessors.

The Fair to trade Taiwan Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a record fine on Qualcomm for the country - in the amount of 23.4 billion Taiwanese dollars (about $774.14 million).

The company is recognized as a monopoly in the CDMA, WCDMA, LTE chip market and guilty of violating antitrust laws for more than seven years. During this time, the chipmaker collected about 400 billion Taiwan dollars in licensing and other payments from local companies. The FTC considered these payments excessive, and also reported that Qualcomm illegally prevented access to its patents related to mobile communications standards.

In addition to paying the fine, Qualcomm will have to send reports to the commission every six months on the progress of negotiations with the affected parties.

In addition, transactions are recalled in which the company forced competitors to provide confidential information, including data on prices, customer names, supply volume and model product designations.

Qualcomm has expressed categorical disagreement with the decision of the Taiwanese antitrust regulator and is going to appeal.

This fine is not rationally related to Qualcomm's revenue or business in Taiwan. The company will appeal the amount of the fine and the method used to calculate it, Qualcomm said.

In 2015-2016, the South Korean and Chinese authorities fined Qualcomm a total of almost $1.9 billion for violating antitrust laws. In both cases, the company was unable to appeal the decisions and paid the required amounts.^[21]

Patent for "Internet shoes"

In May 2017 USA , an application filed back in 2015 from Qualcomm Corporation was published on the website of the Office of Patents and Trademarks. The document is entitled "Internet of Shoes."^[22]

The application describes "a shoe apparatus having communication means which includes: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; radio module; antenna; magnetometer; at the same time, the built-in shoe device can be worn by a person like ordinary shoes, and the processor must: determine orientation in the space of the shoe device using a magnetometer, and transmit information about direction to the second device via radio using an antenna^[23]

The application also states that boots or sneakers connected to the Network will help the user with navigation, and that the source of their power will be a battery charging from piezoelectric motors when moving.

"Smart" (computerized) shoes are far from fantastic: Nike, for example, sells with might and main "chipped" sneakers that send signals about the number of steps to the user's smartphone , etc.

Qualcomm assumes that smart shoes will perform a much larger number of functions: in addition to navigating and counting steps, it is supposed to monitor the user's heartbeat and blood pressure, using vibration to "recommend" to speed up or slow down the step.

As for the Internet connection, even if it now looks like something curious, analysts expect that the supply of wearable devices as a whole will grow to 210 million units by 2020.

Informatization and Internet connection to everything in the world is a long-established trend, "said Ksenia Shilak, Sales Director of SEC-Consult Rus. - The meaning of equipping shoes with processors and connecting them to the Internet may not seem obvious now, but once they asked about mobile phones why they needed Internet access. Now no one asks such questions. As no one is surprised today, for example, refrigerators equipped with Internet servers.

"Internet footwear" is just a special case of the Internet of Things. Over the past years, network security experts have been sounding the alarm about the low level of security of IoT devices, whose manufacturers do not think much about security. The consequence of this was massive IoT botnets, through which powerful DDoS attacks are organized, as was the case with the Mirai botnet.

Gradually, everyone will connect to the Network; even what we now think is completely unnecessary; however, it is not a fact that security tools will keep up with this process, continues Ksenia Shilak. - We have already heard about refrigerators sending spam, IP cameras staging DDoS attacks. This may seem funny, but this cannot be said, for example, about medical devices such as insulin pumps and pacemakers that transmit and receive data through unprotected channels. If the developers of IoT devices do not qualitatively change their attitude to cybersecurity, "Internet shoes" will become another threat factor.

Apple's bullying allegations

On April 11, 2017, it became known that Qualcomm had responded with a counterclaim against Apple's allegations of abuse of market dominance. The world's largest maker of chips for mobile devices claims that the creator of the iPhone is behind numerous regulatory reviews that Qualcomm has recently been subjected to. The chipmaker also accuses Apple of making false statements and violating agreements between the companies.

Apple's lawsuit, filed American in court in January 2017, said Qualcomm unreasonably inflated the price of its products and refused to provide the promised $1 billion discount to its iPhone partner. Almost simultaneously with Apple, Qualcomm made similar claims to the Federal Commission on (FTC to trade USA). The regulator accused the chipmaker of anti-competitive behavior in order to maintain a monopoly on key semiconductor components for mobile phones.

Meanwhile, in a response lawsuit, Qualcomm said that Apple actually harassed it with the help of regulators.

Taking advantage of its huge influence in the industry, Apple has initiated a global attack on Qualcomm and is thus trying to force the company to agree to unfair and unreasonable licensing conditions, Qualcomm said in a statement, excerpts from which are quoted by Reuters.[24]

Qualcomm's complaint also suggests that Apple violated existing agreements and interfered in Qualcomm's agreements with other companies. Plus, the plaintiff claims that Apple lied when it stated that there were no differences in the performance of two modifications of the iPhone - with the chips of Qualcomm itself and a rival vendor - Intel. According to the chipmaker, Apple "through threats" made it quiet about this, as a result of which Qualcomm was unable to publicly declare the superiority of smartphones with its technology.^[25]

Apple filed a lawsuit for $1 billion of promised ribates

On January 23, 2017, it became known about Apple's lawsuit against Qualcomm. The reason is the "onerous, unreasonable and ruinous" conditions for granting licenses for patents and Qualcomm's refusal to provide ribates totaling $1 billion for using its modems in iPhones and iPads.

Qualcomm supplied Apple with radio modems for mobile devices, paying royalties for the use of Qualcomm's wireless patents. Apple announced Qualcomm's refusal to provide it with $1 billion in ribates, allegedly in retaliation for Apple's cooperation with the South Korean Antimonopoly Service, which is investigating Qualcomm's licensing practices^[26].

According to Apple's statement,... "the company believes deeply in innovation, and we have always been willing to pay fair and acceptable royalties for the patents we use. We are supremely disappointed in the way Qualcomm does business with us, and unfortunately, after years of disagreement about what constitutes fair and proportionate royalties, we are left with no choice but to go to court. "

Qualcomm shares were down more than 2.5% on the news.

A week earlier, the Federal Commission on (FTC to trade USA) filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm, accusing it of unfair licensing practices for its patents. The FTC lawsuit alleges that Qualcomm forced Apple to use its chips exclusively in exchange for reduced royalties, eventually preventing competitors from trading and preventing free competition. Apple, in turn, claimed "at least five" more royalties than other licensors in its lawsuit seeking Qualcomm.

"Being just one of more than a dozen companies that have contributed to basic cellular standards, Qualcomm insists on charging Apple at least five times more than all other cellular patent licensors with whom we have agreements combined," Apple said in a lawsuit.

Apple pointed to receiving quarterly rebates from Qualcomm as part of an agreement between the two companies, but Qualcomm began denying those payments in 2016.

"Qualcomm has been unfairly pushing for years to charge royalties for technologies it has nothing to do with. The more innovation Apple introduces with its unique innovations, such as TouchID, advanced displays, cameras, etc., the more money Qualcomm collects just like that and the more expensive it becomes for Apple to finance these innovations, "the plaintiff company said in a statement of claim.

2016

Fine of almost $1 billion for unfair competition

On December 28, 2016, South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm a record amount for the country - almost $1 billion - for unfair competition. For the company, this is not the first monetary recovery of this kind and size.

According to Bloomberg, citing a statement by the South Korean Fair to trade Trade Commission (FTC), Qualcomm licensed its main patents only to mobile phone manufacturers and incorrectly agreed on licensing conditions. When selling mobile processors, the American company, taking advantage of its leading positions in the market, forced customers South Korea to sign patent licensing agreements, and they were forced to pay for the use of patents owned by other phone manufacturers.

As a result, the FTC imposed a fine of 1.03 trillion won ($853 million) on Qualcomm, which turned out to be the largest in the history of the South Korean antimonopoly agency. Qualcomm called the decision "unprecedented and unjustified" and announced its intention to appeal it to the Seoul Supreme Court. The FTC ruling does not take effect immediately, and Qualcomm will appeal to the courts, said the company's general counsel, Don Rosenberg.

In addition to the fine, the Fair Trade Commission is pushing for Qualcomm to give chipmakers access to its key patents and stop putting its customers on unequal terms in contracting.

In addition, the FTC requires Qualcomm patents found to be fundamental to be available for licensing separately, rather than going into a load with chip sales.^[27]

In February 2015, Qualcomm was fined $1 billion for violating antitrust laws. In particular, the company was accused of illegally selling licenses in the form of "packages," which, in addition to the technologies necessary for vendors, included unnecessary ones.

Announcement of the first 5G modem

In 2016, Qualcomm introduced the first Snapdragon X50 5G modem, which was involved in testing and field research of 5G networks, thereby helping OEMs create 5G-enabled devices.

Product vulnerabilities

On August 9, 2016, it became known about four vulnerabilities in Qualcomm chipsets that created a threat to users of 900 million Android devices. The company has released updates, but it is not known which of the manufacturers and operators, and when, provided them to users.

Qualcomm products contain four vulnerabilities, each of which allows you to access the operating system of the device with administrator rights. Researchers at Check Point Software Technologies have named this group of vulnerabilities QuadRooter^[28] to^[28].

QuadRooter is contained in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, LG G4, LG G5 and LG V10, Motorola Moto X, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P, HTC One, HTC M9 and HTC 10, OnePlus One One One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus One 3, BlackBerryPhone and Black2 smartphones. All these smartphones are equipped with Qualcomm chipsets.

Check Point estimated QuadRooter impact coverage at > 900 million devices.

The vulnerabilities are contained in the drivers with which Qualcomm chipsets are supplied. They are designed to control chipsets and organize the interaction of their various components. Drivers are integrated by device manufacturers into device firmware.

The only way to fix the vulnerabilities is to get the appropriate updates from Qualcomm and distribute them to device owners. This can only be done by manufacturers of smartphones and tablets, and operators who themselves are engaged in distribution.

When using QuadRooter, attackers can gain full access to the user's personal data on the device that has not been encrypted, can install a keylogger (keyboard reader), track the owner's current location, and turn on the camera and microphone.

Check Point researchers in early 2016 passed on information about Qualcomm vulnerabilities. It fixed all four vulnerabilities and provided updates to device manufacturers and cellular operators. It is not clear which of them distributed the updates.

According to representatives, Google users who have installed the latest version of Android with all updates are protected from three out of four QuadRooter vulnerabilities. The release of the last "patch" is planned "in the near future."

Qualcomm employees earned $19.5 million on their sexual discrimination

After several months of negotiations, the largest manufacturer of mobile processors Qualcomm agreed to pre-trial settlement of a collective complaint of sexual discrimination by paying $19.5 million. This was announced by the law firm Sanford Heisler, acting on behalf of approximately 3.3 thousand women who signed the complaint. They were unhappy with the fact that Qualcomm seeks to hire more men than women in positions related to the scientific and technical work^[29].

As noted in the company's message, the funds will be used to pay material support. By law, money can go to compensation for harm and lost profits, payment of fines and expenses incurred by plaintiffs. Lawyers did not specify whether any of these articles would cover the indicated amount.

Qualcomm's actual spending will be greater, as the company simultaneously agreed to make changes to its corporate policies aimed at bridging sex inequality in the state and creating the same career opportunities for women and men.

The Company undertakes to provide two consultants who will monitor compliance and appoint a Compliance Director to oversee the implementation of the updated corporate policy. In addition, the vendor promised to allocate additional places for women in the leadership team (now there are 15% of them there).

2015

Wireless Mobile Charger Release

In 2015, Qualcomm released wireless chargers for mobile phones with metal cases. Qualcomm's WiPower technology for wireless charging of mobile devices is more flexible and convenient, erasing the previous boundaries of use, the company says.

Qualcomm suspected of violating the law

On July 16, 2015, it became known about the start of two investigations against Qualcomm by the European authorities - they are trying to clarify the facts of violation of antitrust laws^[30].

Recently, the company was punished by the authorities China for almost $1 billion due to violation of fair competition laws

On July 16, 2015, the European Commission initiated two investigations into Qualcomm. The reason was the need to establish the facts of violation of fair competition laws. It is supposed to find out whether Qualcomm paid bribes to employees of smartphone manufacturers to agree to the purchase of Qualcomm chipsets, refusing to buy chipsets from other vendors. Or to purchase more from Qualcomm. This will be dealt with by the first investigation team.

The second investigation, the authorities aimed to check the facts of artificial underestimation of Qualcomm prices for their products - below cost. The company could do this to squeeze competitors out of the market who are unable to resist aggressive dumping.

"We

have opened two new investigations because we want to make sure that demand is driven by the manufacturability of the products. Electronic devices are very popular. We want consumers to pay for quality when buying them, "said Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition

.

An investigation into bribes was launched by the European Commission on its own initiative. The second investigation was initiated after receiving a complaint.

According to Qualcomm representatives in Russia, the company was notified that the European Commission "initiated proceedings" regarding two aspects of Qualcomm's activities in terms of sales of mobile processors. This will allow you to collect additional information about the company's activities, but is not, either the essence of the case or the indictment. The company assists in the collection of information and cooperates with the European Commission.

Qualcomm restructuring

On July 22, 2015, Qualcomm announced staff cuts and plans for a restructuring that could include splitting the U.S. company's business. The semiconductor manufacturer will resort to these measures amid financial problems.

According to a statement from Qualcomm, the number of full-time employees will be reduced by 15%. Also, the number of temporary employees will be "significantly" reduced. As of the end of 2014, the company had a staff of 31,300. Taking into account the announced layoffs, more than 4,500 people will lose their jobs, The Wall Street Journal notes.

In addition, Qualcomm is going to cut $300 million in compensation in the form of shares in its employees. The reduction in staff will cost the company about $350-450 million. At the same time, the chipmaker promises to reduce costs by about $1.4 billion.

In addition to staff savings, Qualcomm plans to reduce costs by optimizing the staffing of engineering departments, reducing the number of offices and consolidating some of them, as well as by moving a number of units to regions with lower costs.

At the same time, the company will continue to actively develop products and develop new markets. For these purposes, for example, the semiconductor vendor intends to invest up to $4 billion annually in the R&D direction. In particular, it is planned to develop automotive and 5G technologies.

The media persistently rumored about the division of Qualcomm's business. Although the company denied them, in a new statement on July 22, 2015, it still allowed a similar restructuring. One of the options is to separate the licensing business into a new firm.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf promised to take a fresh look at the possibility of splitting the company amid escalating competition and consider "any options to maximize the company's shareholder value."

Qualcomm does need a business transformation given its declining revenues. According to the results of the third financial quarter, closed on June 28, 2015, the company's revenue decreased by 14%, and net profit - by 47%.^[31]

Fine of $975 million for violation of antitrust laws

In February 2015 American the Chinese , antimonopoly authorities demanded to punish the chipmaker. During their investigation, it turned out that Qualcomm literally forced Chinese manufacturers smartphones to overpay for theirs. In processors addition, the company was accused of illegally selling licenses in the form of "packages," which, in addition to the technologies necessary for manufacturers, were also unnecessary for them, which increased their total cost. Qualcomm announced its readiness to amend its pricing policy, but was still forced to pay a fine of $975 million.

2013

QTI testing of Snapdragon 800 and 600 processors

2013 - The first smartphone with LTE-Advanced support

In January 2013, QTI tested the first products from the latest generation processor line - Snapdragon 800 and 600.

In February 2013, QTI introduced an add-on to its Gobi Embedded Platform to increase LTE data rates to 150 Mbps, supporting frequency aggregation and providing additional frequency bands for LTE networks around the world.

Snapdragon processors are at the heart of the first smartphone with LTE Advanced support

In June 2013 smartphone LTE Samsung , Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors were used for the world's first Advanced-enabled Galaxy S4 LTE-A to achieve data transfer speeds up to 150 Mbps.

2011

Launch of AR platform for Android smartphones

In 2011, Qualcomm's augmented reality (AR) platform (later released under the Qualcomm Vuforia brand) for Android smartphones was launched into commercial production.

Snapdragon chipsets with a frequency of 2.5 GHz

In 2011, Qualcomm announced the release of the next generation Snapdragon chipset line for mobile devices. The microarchitecture of the processor, codenamed Krait, provided a frequency of up to 2.5 GHz per core and increased overall performance by 150%, and also reduced power consumption by 65% compared to processors based on ARM architecture available at that time. Chipsets presented in one-, two- and quad-core versions included a line of Adreno GPUs with support for up to four 3D cores, as well as an integrated multi-mode LTE modem.

2010

Tests of the first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets

In June 2010, Qualcomm tested its first dual-core Snapdragon chipsets. Two improved cores from Qualcomm are integrated into the MSM8x60TM (Mobile Station Modem) chipset - with a frequency of up to 1.2 GHz.

According to company representatives, the expanded Snapdragon chipset platform has made it possible to define the capabilities of mobile devices around the world in a new way, offering an unprecedented combination of performance, powerful multimedia capabilities, Internet access from anywhere and optimized power consumption, which contributed to the emergence of the next generation of smartphones.

The number of 3G connections has exceeded 1 billion

Largely due to the high demand for smartphones and mobile broadband services worldwide, the number of 3G connections in April 2010 exceeded 1 billion (3G=CDMA2000, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA.)

2009

$225.6 million fine for exploiting market dominance

In 2009, the South Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) fined her $225.6 million for using market dominance. Qualcomm took lower royalties from mobile manufacturers than other chip suppliers, which provoked manufacturers to buy chips from Qualcomm.

Announcement of a multi-mode chipset with 3G/LTE support

In February 2009, Qualcomm introduced the world's first multi-mode chipset with LTE 3G/ support.

In September 2009, the number of CDMA subscribers worldwide exceeded half a billion. This confirmed Qualcomm's unwavering confidence that one day this technology will play a critical role in mobile communications at the global level.

Paul Jacobs elected Qualcomm chairman

In 2009, Dr. Paul E. Jacobs was elected chairman of Qualcomm.

2008: Launch of the first mobile device based on Android

In October 2008, production of the G1, the world's first Android-based mobile device, equipped with the Qualcomm chipset, was launched. The launch of the T-Mobile G1 device, manufactured by HTC, was a breakthrough for open mobile platforms based on Linux, Qualcomm said.

This important stage was achieved thanks to Qualcomm's close cooperation with T-Mobile, HTC and many other members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) business alliance. Qualcomm worked with HTC to develop and build this first Android device, optimizing software and integrating its single-chip dual-core MSM7201A chipset.

2007

Snapdragon platform announcement

In November 2007, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon platform and two chipsets on this platform. According to Qualcomm, QSD8250 and QSD8650 are the first chipsets to break the 1 GHz barrier, with support for multi-mode broadband and multimedia features. They combine unprecedented data transfer capabilities in mobile networks at that time, including 3G, high multimedia performance and low power consumption, allowing the device to run on a single battery charge throughout the day.

The Snapdragon platform enabled the device instantly and allowed users to stay connected at all times, thereby ushering in the next era of computers and wireless mobile devices.

Start working with Microsoft

In October 2007, Qualcomm began cooperation with Microsoft, which made it possible to present numerous Windows Mobile smartphones with Qualcomm chipsets around the world.

2005: Certification of the first VoIP phone

In 2005, the Qsec-2700 Rel.2 device was certified Type I by the US Government, which, according to Qualcomm, made it the world's first secure mobile VoIP phone.

2003: Release of the fourth generation of WCDMA-enabled chipsets

In May 2003, Qualcomm announced the fourth generation of WCDMA-enabled chipsets. They implemented HSDPA technology ("high-speed packet data transmission in the downlink channel"), which is part of the next generation WCDMA standard (UMTS), as well as roaming in GSM and GPRS systems.

Moreover, the solution made it possible to implement improved multimedia functionality in WCDMA phones for video conferencing, streaming video, audio playback, games, photo and video cameras.

2002

Implementation of gpsOne by US mobile operators

In 2002, two major U.S. mobile operators - Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless - implemented Qualcomm's gpsOne technology to implement a U.S. government executive order regarding the location of a mobile phone whenever it receives a 911 call.

Agreement with the US Government for the development of a VoIP phone

In 2002, the US Government signed an agreement with Qualcomm to develop the first protected wireless VoIP phone of the CDMA standard.

2001: Announcement of the Brew platform for CDMA mobile devices

In January 2001, Qualcomm introduced Brew, an open platform for developing applications for CDMA mobile devices. The Brew platform was designed to create solutions in a wireless industry "moving towards the unification of wireless and internet." It allowed software developers to create and monetize multifunctional applications for CDMA devices, and also provided users with the ability to download applications "over the air" and personalize wireless devices according to their needs.

2000: Announcement of the first CDMA chipset to integrate GPS navigation

In August 2000, Qualcomm introduced its first multimedia CDMA chipset and system software. The creation of MSM3300/IFR3300 with gpsOne location function, Internet connection, MP3 and Bluetooth support allowed manufacturers to begin developing improved wireless phones with a large selection of multimedia applications and energy efficient location detection, while being made in small and budget form factors, the company said.

1998: Announcement of the first commercial model of a CDMA smartphone

In September 1998, Qualcomm introduced the pdQ CDMA phone. The device, which relied on Palm's then-popular operating system, was the world's first CDMA smartphone, the company said.

1993: Qualcomm implements mobile Internet access for the first time in history

In February 1993, Qualcomm demonstrated the ability to transmit a simple data packet (TCP/IP) via CDMA.

In July 1993, the United States Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) recognized CDMA technology as a cellular standard, confirming the correctness of Qualcomm's business model and contributing to the ubiquity of this digital wireless technology.

1989: CDMA Technology Health Validation

In the spring of 1989, Qualcomm and PacTel Cellular agreed to demonstrate CDMA technology to fifty companies most influential in the wireless technology industry.

Qualcomm had just six months to prepare the demo. On the day of the presentation, November 7, 1989, Irwin M. Jacobs took the stage in San Diego and began to specifically delay time, giving his opening speech and waiting for a gesture of approval from the development engineers. After waiting for him, he made the first indicative call that laid the foundation for the era of wireless connection.

1988: Use of M2M communication

In August 1988, Qualcomm launched the OmniTRACS satellite data system for the transportation industry, which allowed fleet operators to track their vehicles on routes.

1985: Founding of the Company

In July 1985, Irwin M. Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi, Harvey White, Franklin Antonio, Andrew Cohen, Klein Gilhausen, and Adelia Coffman founded Qualcomm and opened its first office in La Jolla, California.

In the same year, Qualcomm signed its first contract and began working with CDMA, a unique digital wireless technology used by the US armed forces to organize secure communications.

See also

• The "cell PC" revolution or who will benefit from the ARM-Intel war

Notes