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 . — 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.