Qualcomm struggles with UMB acceptance

A recent report from ABI research shows virtually no demand for Qualcomm's UMB service however Qualcomm's IP portfolio continues to be strong in enabling technologies for 4G.

From the report, "No operator has yet announced plans to trial or deploy UMB. Several of the major CDMA operators in the two primary markets are migrating to other technologies. Vendors cannot move forward with development unless their customers commit to trial this technology. WiMAX and LTE have ecosystems in place that offer support. LTE, which is expected to be available around 2010, already has operator commitment from Vodafone and Verizon. WiMAX has implemented many trials, and has over fifty commercial deployments underway."

Here is a great snapshot of the 4G roadmap courtesy of Parks and Associates:

The road to 4G has traditionally followed three paths with LTE (3GPP), UMB (3GPP2) and of course Mobile WiMAX (802.16).  With WiMAX available today and LTE right around the corner it seems that UMB is struggling to build critical mindshare with important CDMA carries that should have followed Qualcomm's planned roadmap to 4G.  Everything changed with the recent announcement from Verizon to go with LTE rather than UMB.  Look for more CDMA carriers to follow Verizon's path.

Mike Wolleben

Friday, December 28, 2007 in Business  | Permalink |  Comments (0)