Qualcomm Responds to Ericsson's Proposal for Harmonization

SAN DIEGO – December 10, 1998 – Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) announced today that it welcomes Ericsson's public support for the convergence of cdma2000™ and W-CDMA, the proposals based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for third-generation digital wireless technology.

Qualcomm invites Ericsson to join the Company and the majority of the world's wireless industry in convergence discussions taking place in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and in various standards organizations worldwide. With such broad support, these discussions can lead to a converged CDMA third generation standard in a timely fashion. A worldwide CDMA standard meeting the following three fairness principles can provide greater services to all wireless customers and operators.

  1. A single, converged CDMA standard should be selected for 3G;
     
  2. The converged CDMA standard must accommodate equally the two dominant network standards in use today (IS-41 and GSM-MAP); and
     
  3. Disputes on specific technological points should be resolved by selecting the proposal that either is demonstrably superior in terms of performance, features, or cost, or, in the case of alternatives with no demonstrable material difference, the choice that is most compatible with existing technology.
With respect to Ericsson's suggestion that a chip rate of 3.84 Megachips per second (Mcps) be selected for a converged CDMA standard, Qualcomm reiterates that a third generation CDMA standard should be determined in accordance with the fairness principles. Qualcomm is unaware of any analysis that suggests that 3.84 Mcps has demonstrable performance or cost advantage relative to 3.6864 Mcps, while the latter is evolutionary with an existing technology, cdmaOne™.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. The Company's major business areas include CDMA phones; Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs); wireless infrastructure; technology licensing; and satellite-based systems including OmniTRACSŪ and portions of the Globalstar™ system. Qualcomm is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. Qualcomm's fiscal 1998 revenues exceeded U.S. $3 billion.

For more information, please visit the Company's web site at http://www.qualcomm.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including timely product development, the Company's ability to successfully manufacture significant quantities of CDMA or other equipment on a timely and profitable basis, and those related to performance guarantees, 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 27, 1998, and most recent Form 10-Q.# # #Qualcomm and OmniTRACS are registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Globalstar is a trademark of Loral Qualcomm Satellite Services, Incorporated. cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDMA Development Group. cdma2000 is a trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association.