Scribbles

QUALCOMM Inc.—The lead proponent of the advanced CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) wireless technology has scored a victory by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the Russian Federation.

The first CDMA wireless local loop system will be installed in the Moscow area by late 1995, with the eventual goal of having CDMA established as the nation’s digital wireless standard.

SunDisk Corp.—The leading flash disk manufacturer just keeps on rolling. Recently, the Santa Clara, California-based company announced that it has enlisted Korean headquartered L.G. Semicon to manufacture flash memory chips for use in the company’s data storage products.

L.G. Semicon, the fifth largest DRAM manufacturer worldwide, will also make an undisclosed minority equity investment in SunDisk, a privately held company.

AirTouch Communications—The west coast U.S. paging and cellular company is expanding east—far east—with its recent announcement to partner and provide cellular service in the Tohoku region of Japan. AirTouch will have a 4.5 percent stake in Digital TU-KA Tohoku Co. Ltd. which will build a 1.5 GHz digital cellular system employing the Japanese Digital Cellular (JDC) standard.

Ericsson—Continuing with wireless news, the Swedish telecommunication giant is also moving east in a big way and for the first time. Muntara Telecommunications in Malaysia will purchase Ericsson DCS-1800 equipment to outfit its digital Personal Communications Network (PCN) for peninsular Malaysia.

Toshiba—Hoping to make the much-promised vision of multimedia car navigation a consumer reality, Toshiba recently previewed its NAV1000 global positioning system (GPS). Featuring a CD-ROM drive that also plays standard music CDs, the device sports a five-inch TFT screen and built-in speaker.

Toshiba is scheduled to ship the device, including the EtakGuide disc set for the state of California, in October with a suggested retail price of $2,999.

Symbol Technologies, Inc.—The leading supplier of bar code-based data transaction systems (together with pen-based computers) is planning to move its corporate headquarters to the Town of Brookhaven, NY, following the completion of renovations of a 174,000 square-foot building.

Symbol purchased the building and the 48-acre tract of land on which it sits from the Northrup Grumman Corp.

Proxim, Inc.—The leading wireless data communication manufacturer has announced an agreement under which South Korea-based Dual Inc. will market a family of wireless local area network products in South Korea based on Proxim’s 2.4 GHz RangeLAN2 technology.

Dual plans to market the new products under its DuaLink brand name. Dual cites Proxim as the first manufacturer to obtain the necessary regulatory approval for the 2.4 GHz frequency hopping wireless LAN product in South Korea six months ago as one reason for selecting the company’s technology.

AT&T—The giant US telecommunication company will be bringing the first urban pocket phone system based on wireless CT2 technology to China, based on a new agreement signed with the Huaxun Communication Group.