Code Division Multiple Access

Major players in the cellular telephone industry agree that unless second-generation technology is quickly introduced, cellular phone systems in the nation's largest metropolitan areas soon will be overwhelmed by callers who insist on traveling with mobile telephones.

Qualcomm Inc. said it sued Ericsson of Sweden on charges of unfair competition in a suit that comes on the heels of an Ericsson suit claiming the San Diego company infringed eight of Ericsson's wireless telephone patents. Qualcomm said in its suit filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego that Ericsson's patent infringement charges violate a nondisclosure pact between the companies.

AirTouch Begins New L.A. Wireless Service: The system, known as CDMA, is based on an innovation known as code-division multiple-access technology. With CDMA, cellular companies can carry more phone calls, provide better security for wireless calls and offer enhanced services such as caller identification. The technology has proven to have a number of bugs, however, including voice quality and calls that were abruptly cut off.

After years of posturing and rhetoric, a high-stakes battle over standards for a new generation of wireless communications services is finally moving to the marketplace. In one corner is San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc., which together with partners Sony Corp., Northern Telecom Inc. and others is betting that a revolutionary digital technology will dramatically increase the capacity and quality of mobile calls--and facilitate a host of new services over telephone handsets.

Qualcomm Inc. said it sued Ericsson of Sweden on charges of unfair competition in a suit that comes on the heels of an Ericsson suit claiming the San Diego company infringed eight of Ericsson's wireless telephone patents. Qualcomm said in its suit filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego that Ericsson's patent infringement charges violate a nondisclosure pact between the companies.

After years of posturing and rhetoric, a high-stakes battle over standards for a new generation of wireless communications services is finally moving to the marketplace. In one corner is San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc., which together with partners Sony Corp., Northern Telecom Inc. and others is betting that a revolutionary digital technology will dramatically increase the capacity and quality of mobile calls--and facilitate a host of new services over telephone handsets.

The defense industry is disappearing and the local economy is in the doldrums, but a young company called Qualcomm, founded by a pair of former computer science professors, is inspiring hope that this city will be lifted by high tech. Qualcomm Inc.'s technology is certainly arcane: Going by the name of Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, it's essentially a complicated way of sending digital radio signals over the airwaves.

Qualcomm Inc. granted Handspring Inc. a license for its digital wireless standard, extending its technology beyond telephones. Handspring, whose Visor hand-held computer uses the Palm Inc. operating system, will be able to develop wireless communications using Qualcomm's code division multiple access, or CDMA, technology, and Qualcomm will receive royalties on sales of Handspring products.

Qualcomm Inc. said it has licensed Taiwan's largest cordless-telephone maker, Cherish Telecom, to use Qualcomm's code division multiple access, or CDMA, technology, in a multimillion-dollar deal. San Diego-based Qualcomm also said it entered into a licensing agreement with First International Computer, also of Taiwan. Qualcomm shares closed down $1.88 to $53 on Nasdaq.

Sprint Cable Venture Picks Qualcomm Technology: The long-distance carrier, in its alliance with three large cable TV companies, picked San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc.'s digital technology for its nationwide wireless network, a move that could mean millions of dollars for Qualcomm. The Sprint Telecommunications Venture, composed of Sprint, Tele-Communications Inc., Cox Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp.

AirTouch Begins New L.A. Wireless Service: The system, known as CDMA, is based on an innovation known as code-division multiple-access technology. With CDMA, cellular companies can carry more phone calls, provide better security for wireless calls and offer enhanced services such as caller identification. The technology has proven to have a number of bugs, however, including voice quality and calls that were abruptly cut off.

The defense industry is disappearing and the local economy is in the doldrums, but a young company called Qualcomm, founded by a pair of former computer science professors, is inspiring hope that this city will be lifted by high tech. Qualcomm Inc.'s technology is certainly arcane: Going by the name of Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, it's essentially a complicated way of sending digital radio signals over the airwaves.

Major players in the cellular telephone industry agree that unless second-generation technology is quickly introduced, cellular phone systems in the nation's largest metropolitan areas soon will be overwhelmed by callers who insist on traveling with mobile telephones.

Qualcomm Inc. and Motorola Inc. said they have agreed to dismiss all lawsuits against each other over the design of mobile phones that use San Diego-based Qualcomm's wireless technology format. The two companies also have agreed to a three-year moratorium on patent infringement lawsuits related to Qualcomm's code division multiple access technology. No payments are being made under the dismissal agreement.

The Internet entertainment arm of Sony Corp., best known for games including "Jeopardy Online," will develop games for cell phones based on software created by wireless company Qualcomm Inc. Sony Online Entertainment said it will use the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, better known as BREW, a platform developed by Qualcomm for phones running on the high-speed versions of its Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, wireless networks.