Qualcomm's Gobi: An Antidote (Not a Cure-All) for Cellular Modem Value Chain Ills, Says ABI Research
NEW YORK, New York — April 17, 2008 — With the spread of 3G cellular networks, connected notebooks with built-in cellular modems have not met early adoption forecasts. Part of the issue has been high broadband data pricing but that does not explain why business customers, who make up the initial target market, have not been more receptive to the convenience of embedded connectivity on mobile broadband wide area networks.
Much of the resistance to purchasing notebooks with embedded connectivity can be mitigated by connectivity that is agnostic to the underlying network protocols. Qualcomm has solved this problem with Gobi, a multi-band GSM and CDMA chipset for use in cellular modems. In a new Research Brief, ABI Research principal analysts Dan Shey and Phil Solis highlight the value of Gobi to the mobile value chain and analyze the implications.
According to Shey, "Gobi is giving the embedded notebook market the shot in the arm it needs to continue on a double-digit growth path and capture a greater share of the 100+ million notebook shipments through 2013."
Gobi promises customers choice in connecting to either GSM or CDMA networks anywhere in the world. But Gobi isn't the only solution for broadband connectivity and will not by itself solve all the value chain problems. Operator choice may not exist if the fewer operators serving business customers influence and limit the connectivity choices provided by the notebook OEMs. Alternatives exist, such as subsidized PC Cards and USB modems. As cellular broadband prices drop, will consumers need CDMA coverage, given their mobility needs and the broad coverage available from GSM networks?
Says Solis, "Gobi is a great solution, but relationship-building and marketing will have to be important elements in Qualcomm's strategy to gain favor with suppliers and end-users."
The new ABI Research Brief, "Qualcomm's Gobi Solution" (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/research_brief/Mobile_Devices_
Market_Update/122, http://www.abiresearch.com/products/research_brief
/Business_Mobility_Research_Brief/102, or http://www.abiresearch.com
/products/research_brief/Consumer_Mobility_Research_Brief/112) examines the barriers limiting market adoption of embedded notebooks and explains how Gobi will help overcome them. It analyzes the entire value chain from suppliers to customers. Finally, the Research Brief discusses the challenges and opportunities that Gobi creates for the cellular modem vendors and competing chipset vendors. It forms part of three ABI Research Services: Mobile Devices (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service
/Mobile_Devices_Research_Service), Business Mobility (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Business_Mobility
_Research_Service), and Consumer Mobility (http://www.abiresearch.com
/products/service/Consumer_Mobility_Research_Service).
(Long URLs in this release may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)
ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with their strategic growth initiatives. For information, visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.
Source: ABI Research
Qualcomm's Gobi Technology Gains Market Momentum in Enabling Global Mobile Broadband for Notebooks
Leading Notebook Vendors, Network Operators and Software Suppliers Continue to Drive the Gobi Global Mobile Internet Solution Community
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — April 1, 2008 — Computerworld : By Matt Hamblen
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, today announced that the Company's Gobi™ global mobile Internet solution is gaining broad industry support with more manufacturers, network operators and software suppliers announcing products and services for the growing Gobi community this week. Leading laptop vendors will be integrating Gobi into laptop models shipping in 2008, and several network operators-including T-Mobile International, Telefonica, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone-have either completed certification or are expected to do so this month, with others expected to follow throughout the year. Meanwhile, Fortune 500 companies have voiced their support for the Gobi solution, which offers enterprises a way to untether their workforces from Wi-Fi hotspots and keep them connected to high-speed Internet with increased flexibility in choosing a cellular service provider and multi-mode roaming capabilities.
"Even companies who didn't formerly consider themselves to have a global footprint are increasingly finding that having a mobile workforce is a necessity to staying competitive," said Carrie MacGillivray, senior research analyst at IDC. "Wi-Fi hotspots lack ubiquitous coverage for the mobile worker and make it difficult for many organizations to keep employees connected while traveling. Multi-mode cellular data access embedded in laptops offers increased flexibility and efficiency for mobile workers."
The embedded Gobi solution enables laptop computers and sub-notebooks to deliver global high-speed connectivity to users via both EV-DO and WCDMA/UMTS 3G cellular networks. With a Gobi-powered laptop, enterprise users will benefit from the worldwide high-speed data capabilities of cellular broadband networks, while IT managers can streamline their operations by leveraging a single hardware and software solution for all their nationwide and global branch office locations.
"Most enterprise and small business customers have been waiting for a solution like Gobi to make built-in 3G a standard feature in their notebook RFQs," said Robert Garry, director of sales at Ingram Micro. "Gobi solves this problem by providing a single worldwide mobile broadband solution for each notebook model. It also provides Ingram resellers with the carrier flexibility, international roaming and future-proof roadmap that they have been looking for to make notebook and sub-notebook built-in mobile broadband mainstream with their customers. We believe that Gobi has initiated the start of a mass market for built-in mobile broadband because it has removed the risks that IT managers had with single-mode 3G."
"For enterprise users, the need for secure and widely available access to the Internet has become more essential than ever - a need that Gobi addresses with flexibility and efficiency," said Greg Raleigh, vice president of wireless connectivity for Qualcomm. "Built-in Gobi laptops and sub-notebooks will offer business IT managers and end users the advantages of flexible service options with enterprise-class security, GPS capability and a growing list of Gobi-compatible mobility software. The Gobi ecosystem provides IT managers with a reliable solution that addresses their global mobile broadband needs."
The growing list of mobility software developers and enterprise security software developers who will be offering Gobi-compatible products now includes Smith Micro Software Inc., Birdstep Technology ASA, Diginext B.V., Stonestreet One Inc., and Absolute Software.
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2007 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to design and have manufactured sufficient quantity of product, customer and vendor response to the Gobi mobile Internet solution, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, 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 30, 2007, and most recent Form 10-Q.
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Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Gobi is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Qualcomm Contacts:
Emily Kilpatrick, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-845-5959
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
John Gilbert, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
Kira Lee Golin, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
Phone: 1-858-845-7571
Email: qctpublicrelations@qualcomm.com
Next-Generation Dell Laptops Take Connectivity Global
New GOBI™ mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm allows Customers to Connect to Multiple 3G Networks
ROUND ROCK, Texas — April 1, 2008 — World travelers can stay connected globally with Dell’s next-generation laptops that will support mobile broadband on multiple cellular networks.
U.S.-based travelers who connect their laptops via EV-DO carrier networks (like Verizon Wireless or Sprint), will be able to connect via HSPA carrier networks (like Vodafone), a wireless standard commonly found in Europe. Today customers who wish to connect to both types of networks must use two different mobile broadband cards.
Dell’s next-generation laptops, available later this year, will support a single-card 3G network connection through Qualcomm’s Gobi™ solution. The software-configurable technology enables high-speed data connectivity on both UMTS and CDMA networks, and allows users to switch between network carriers. The built-in Gobi solution will be offered across Latitude, Dell Precision, and consumer laptops.
“Dell will continue to deliver on the promise of global computing with the addition of Qualcomm’s Gobi technology,” said Ken Bond, director of wireless product management at Dell. “Customers are demanding more freedom to compute the way they want, where they want, which is why Dell today offers such a wide selection of mobile-broadband ready laptops.”
“The Gobi solution enables enterprise users and consumers with the freedom of being untethered from Wi-Fi hotspots and connecting to the Internet using ‘almost anywhere’ cellular broadband connectivity,” said Greg Raleigh, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We are pleased that Dell will be leveraging the flexibility and efficiency Gobi provides to meet the growing needs of mobile data users.”
About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell is a leading global systems and services company and No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit www.dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to www.dell.com/conversations. To get Dell news direct, visit www.dell.com/RSS.
Qualcomm's new Gobi: A WiMax and Wi-Fi killer?
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — April 1, 2008 — Computerworld : By Matt Hamblen
Qualcomm Inc.'s Gobi, an embedded laptop module allowing for wide-area wireless connectivity, is poised to upset the apple cart, offering alternatives to Wi-Fi and even emerging WiMax.
The next-generation Gobi module will be selling in Dell laptops, and possibly those from other manufacturers, later this year. New capabilities will support multiple cellular networks for the first time, Dell Inc. and Qualcomm officials announced today.
Embedded laptop wide-area wireless chips have been criticized In current configurations by Gartner Inc. analysts and others, who noted that their technology required sticking with one carrier or technology for the life of a laptop. Many IT managers may want to change carriers before a laptop's full life is realized at three years or more.
Gartner's current advice is not to use existing embedded modules, but the advice could change with the advent of the new Gobi later this year, according to Ken Dulaney, an analyst at the firm. The new Gobi is "a tremendous chip in terms of its versatility and ability to be a stable asset in a laptop lasting for three years or so," he said.
Dell said it would provide the built-in Gobi in Latitude, Dell Precision and other consumer laptops later this year. In one example, Dell said U.S.-based travelers who connect their laptops via EV-DO carriers such as Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. will be able to use the new Gobi to connect in Europe via HSPA carrier networks such as Vodafone. Today, customers wanting to connect to both types of networks must use two different mobile broadband cards, Dell said.
The new Gobi technology is software-configurable, and allows a user to switch between network carriers. Dulaney said Gartner has recommended separate laptop cards instead of embedded technology to aid users who wish to swap them out.
At CTIA Wireless 2008, T-Mobile International also said it has certified the new Gobi technology to "free notebook users to connect via leading 3G networks virtually anywhere."
Greg Raleigh, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA technologies, said that he expects more laptop makers and carriers to endorse the new Gobi approach in coming months.
With Gobi, users can be untethered from Wi-Fi hot spots, Raleigh said.
Dulaney predicted that carriers would begin offering new wide-area wireless data pricing plans so that users pay as they go, much as they do for Wi-Fi. "It may be the end of the year before we see all these offers in concrete," he said.
Gobi could be a real concern for WiMax developers who are also offering high-speed wireless access to mobile users, Dulaney added.
"In part, this technology's being built to defeat WiMax, but really they are trying to include WAN wireless in the same category as Wi-Fi," he said.
And service providers might not be the only ones to find profit models disrupted by Gobi, notes Dulaney. Even if the new Gobi raises the price of a laptop by $100, a user traveling just twice a year for several days would pay for the cost by not having to pay hotel Wi-Fi connection fees of $10 to $14 a night.
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Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Gobi is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Qualcomm Announces Gobi Solution Now Certified by T-Mobile International
Notebook Computers with Embedded Global Mobile Internet Solution Cleared for Activation on T-Mobile's Networks
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — April 1, 2008 — Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, today announced the Company's Gobi™ global mobile Internet solution has been certified by T-Mobile International. With the certification, notebook computers that feature the Gobi solution to deliver GPS functionality and cellular broadband connectivity on HSPA networks will be ready for final certification on T-Mobile International's networks. The Gobi solution frees notebook users to connect via leading 3G networks virtually anywhere, delivering global access to the Internet with increased flexibility and performance.
“T-Mobile International is pleased to be among the first carriers to certify the Gobi module,” said Vish Sowani, vice president of sales and strategic alliances, T-Mobile International. “Gobi's flexibility addresses many of the concerns that enterprises have had about adopting built in 3G WWAN and will enable the wireless data market for notebooks to grow even faster going forward.”
“Qualcomm's Gobi technology has raised the bar for connectivity, enabling a new level of efficiency and a next-generation connected user experience for notebook users around the world,” said Greg Raleigh, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We are pleased that we have reached this milestone with T-Mobile International and look forward to our close cooperation with them.”
Qualcomm's Gobi solution enables notebook manufacturers to ship Gobi-equipped notebooks in all global distribution channels, and delivers industry-leading roaming capabilities across worldwide networks. The Company's streamlined notebook certification and integration program is designed to expedite the certification process for operators around the world.
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2007 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of Gobi chipsets on a timely and profitable basis; the extent and speed with which Gobi is deployed; the extent and speed with which Gobi achieves final certification by T-Mobile International; change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves; 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 30, 2007, and most recent Form 10-Q.
###
Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Gobi is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Qualcomm Contacts:
Emily Kilpatrick, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-845-5959
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
John Gilbert, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
Kira Lee Golin, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
Phone: 1-858-845-7571
Email: qctpublicrelations@qualcomm.com
