Qualcomm speaks up on DTV transition

Other 700 MHz licensees may also have to delay their plans to deploy long-term evolution (LTE) and other wireless technologies in the spectrum if the bills pass, but none of them face the immediacy of Qualcomm. Verizon Wireless, which plans to launch its first LTE networks by year end, was originally opposed to any delay but said today in a letter to the House and Senate commerce committees it would support a 90-day delay as long as the deadline was not extended beyond June 12. “Any further delay would harm the nation’s economy and broadband future,” Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg wrote in the letter. AT&T is also planning to launch LTE, but not until 2010, and said it would not be opposed to a limited deadline extension.

In other news, Qualcomm today announced it was purchasing Advanced Micro Devices’ handheld graphics business unit for $65 million in cash. Qualcomm has been licensing AMD graphic cores for several years, Qualcomm said, but bringing the technology in-house will allow it to seamlessly integrate the technology into its system-on-a-chip (SoC) lines of phone silicon.