Qualcomm Inc. appears to have gotten its way in Japan.
DDI Corp., which plans to take over IDO and KDD in October, is expected to file for a third-generation license application with the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications this week, selecting cdma2000 technology, sources close to the companies say.
Qualcomm didn’t comment, but sources familiar with the matter say the cdmaOne innovator will drop its quest for a 3G license now that DDI Group has made its decision. Japanese newspapers had previously reported that the DDI Group, which operates a cdmaOne system today, was planning to deploy wideband Code Division Multiple Access in the 3G band.
That threatened to shut Interim Standard-95-based technology out of Japan since NTT DoCoMo and Japan Telecom Group, two other operators almost guaranteed a license, have already submitted their 3G applications with the intention of deploying W-CDMA technology.
If DDI Group planned to use W-CDMA technology, Qualcomm was considering submitting its own 3G license application with the MPT, which expects to grant three licenses later this year.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, at Qualcomm’s prodding, issued a letter to the Japanese MPT last month, saying it feared the Japanese government was pressuring operators to pick one technology over another. The MPT is expected to issue its response to the U.S. government’s request, which asked for the MPT’s written assurances that applicants for 3G licenses will not be disadvantaged if they choose a technology other than W-CDMA technology. Government officials interviewed said they had yet to see a response.
The Japanese government in September accepted both W-CDMA and cdma2000 technologies as standards. Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun also reported DDI Group’s intention of deploying cdma2000, citing company sources who indicated choosing cdma2000 technology would curb investments needed to set up infrastructure.
