Qualcomm, Philips integrating CDMA, WLAN

Qualcomm said today it is building into its line of Mobile Station Modem (MSM) chipsets support for Philips WLAN module.

The partnership will allow vendors to seamlessly integrate CDMA or UMTS chipset with an IEEE 802.16b or 802.16g radio, to support data and voice technologies over Wi-Fi hotspots and WLANs. Qualcomm will initially integrate the module into its MSM6550 chipset for EV-DO handsets and will be available at the end of the year.

As WLAN technologies are looked on as a supplemental access solution to the wide area wireless network, more and more vendors have been developing hybrid phones. On the GSM/UMTS side, vendors have been pursuing Unlicensed Mobile Access standards, which will offload minutes off the network by tunneling the GSM signal through a hotspot or home WLAN. Vendors and enterprises are also investigating VoIP over WLAN technologies that will allow customers to roam from the cellular network to the corporate LAN.

In other news, Qualcomm announced on Thursday it has landed another BREW customer in Eastern Europe. Sky Link, Russia’s largest CDMA operator, will use both the BREW content management and delivery platform and the BREW content service over its new CDMA 1X network.