Interviews With Mobile Computing Vendors
- Qualcomm 2003 CDMA Enterprise Deployment Awards -

Question #1 - Please tell us about your Mobility awards campaign to recognize outstanding enterprise users of CDMA? How will this campaign work? Who can enter the campaign? Who will select the winners? What would the criteria be?

Answer:
Qualcomm is announcing its first annual 3G cdmA-List(TM) Awards program whereby it would select and honor the most innovative and successful enterprise wireless data solutions based on third-generation (3G) CDMA2000 networks, devices and business applications. The program will judge a nominees' wireless data implementation on overall creativity, innovative industry use or quantifiable return-on-investment (ROI) for that company.

Question 2 - How will the enterprise mobility award program work? Who can be nominated?

Answer: 
We plan to advertise the program actively through advertising in different media, including well-known websites like MobileInfo.Com. We are asking various players in the value chain to nominate enterprise customers who have deployed unique business applications utilizing CDMA-based networks like 1xRTT from Sprint PCS.

The 3G cdmA-List Awards program will honor the most innovative and successful business implementations of CDMA wireless data in North America. The Awards will spotlight wireless data implementations that demonstrate exemplary creativity, innovative industry use or quantifiable return-on-investment (ROI) for the winning companies.

The awards program is open to companies of all sizes in various stages of deployment utilizing an array of devices including PC cards, PDAs,smartphones, telemetry modules and phones. Companies in all industries (utilities, public safety, pharmaceuticals and insurance) are encouraged to apply. Anybody can nominate a company for award - partner organizations including value-added resellers, system integrators, independent software vendors and wireless carriers, may also tender nominations on behalf of their customers.

Question 3 - Who will decide the winners?

Answer: 
A panel of distinguished judges will select A-list winners. Judges include: Maryfran Johnson, Editor-in-Chief, Computerworld; Mark Desautels, Vice President of Wireless Internet Caucus, CTIA; Iain Gillott, President,
iGillottResearch; Bob Egan, President, Mobile Competency; Matt Purdue, Editor-in-Chief, Mobile Enterprise Magazine; Charles Nettles, Chief Technology Executive, McKesson Corporation; and James Ciriello, Executive Director, Institute for Leading in a Dynamic Economy, Boston University School of
Management.

Question 4 - How will the wining organizations be rewarded? 

Answer: 
Winners will be recognized at a private reception in Las Vegas on October 21, 2003 at CTIA Wireless IT(R) & Entertainment 2003. Prizes for A- list winners will include airfare, accommodations, dining and ntertainment in Las Vegas and a full conference entry badge to the show. Winners will also receive widespread company exposure in leading information technology, wireless and trade publications.

Question 5 - What tools and resources are you using to promote CDMA-based 3G solutions deployment in the North America? 

Answer: 
Qualcomm is providing the leadership necessary to promote CDMA-based 3G solutions among the enterprise. Recently, we launched a 7-city tour in North America where Citrix - well known for its MetaFrame thin-client architecture, Sprint PCS and Sierra Wireless worked together to present a half-day seminar and demonstration environment to discuss how 3G networks of today could be utilized to access current suite of business applications on wireless devices and networks. We followed this free seminar by a free lab environment where qualified customers were offered to try 60 day free wireless network service by Sprint PCs and a wireless card by Sierra Wireless to access their existing applications. This previous effort was a great success. The tour reached almost 500 enterprise customers. The customers realized how easy it was to access these applications without change, except for installing Citrix software, configuration set up and minor customization. 

Now we are at the next stage of recognizing these companies who took advantage of this program or, on their own, initiated wireless applications 

Question 6 
How large is Enterprise Business Development group within Qualcomm and what kind of resources it has at its disposal to promote enterprise deployment of 3G CDMA?

Answer: 
Our group has almost a dozen employees. However, we do have other resources within Qualcomm supporting our effort. Our focus is to explore ways of promoting the use of CDMA networks within the enterprise.

Question 7 - How did the program start and what is Qualcomm's motivation behind it?

Answer: 
Qualcomm's corporate marketing group headed by Jan Dehesh has a business development mandate that is focused at the enterprise. Her personal background was as the CIO of Qualcomm - therefore she understands the problems and pressures that It professionals face in deploying business solutions using emerging technologies - wireless technology being one of those. It was felt that Qualcomm should work with all the players in wireless business solution value chain - carriers, the ISV's (Independent Service Providers), IHVs (Independent hardware Providers), device manufacturers and resellers who package these products and services into a complete solution. 

Qualcomm felt that while Wi-Fi was making a lot of trade press news, 3G-solution deployment in the enterprise was not getting enough attention and exposure. Therefore, Qualcomm took upon itself the role of recognizing and honoring those enterprises that have recently deployed these solutions effectively for their businesses.

Qualcomm's motivation in starting this program is to increase the awareness among enterprise professionals that CDMA-based 3-G wireless networks can provide productivity gains today.

Question 8 -  Qualcomm has itself won many industry awards. Can you tell us about that?Did that have a bearing on this?

Certainly; Qualcomm has won the following awards and we felt that enterprises who have used our technologies should be recognized and rewarded in a similar fashion.

QUALCOMM's awards and honors include:

• FORTUNE's 100 Best Companies to Work for in America™
• FORTUNE's 2002 America's Most Admired Companies
• FORTUNE's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in America™
• FORTUNE 500®
• FORTUNE e-50
• Department of Labor's Secretary Opportunity Award
• Training Magazine's Training Top 100
• Business Ethics Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens
• San Diego Business Journal's Multicultural Heritage Awards
• FORBES 500's ANNUAL DIRECTORY
• FORBES Platinum 400
• Business Week Information Technology 100
• The Business Week Global 1000
• Industry Week's 100 Best Managed Companies
• Technology Review's Top 100 Companies to Excel in the 21st Century
• Deloitte & Touche 500 Fastest Growing Technology Companies
• Electronic Business Top 300 Companies

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: MobileInfo.Com welcomes this initiative on part of Qualcomm. We shall offer more complete comments and advisory after our second interview with Qualcomm.

Acknowledgement: 
MobileInfo.Com thanks Jeff Ross, Director of Marketing for Enterprise Business Development at Qualcomm. 

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