those umts people didn't really like qualcomm, last time i talked with them. cdma was seen as hostile technology to endanger europes plan to make umts a world standard in the wireless world. obviously they lost again. not the first, nor the last time.

as far as i am concerned, the turn around happened in asia: while european strategists focused on japan, qualcomm convinced south korea; and in 2000, while everyone in europe looked at the burning rate of money on umts licensing, qualcomm started negociations with china.

anyhow, to hear jacobs point of view on the story would be nice. his inventions and patents on cdma (code division multiple access) are the family jewels of qualcomm. and he knows the scene since the 60s. maybe everything began with his phd, he presented 1959 at mit; he wrote about connectivity in probalistic graphs. the topic of the time i would say. also no wonder, he is a friend of bob kahn, who is on the qualcomm board - just to close the circle here.

the introdruction at the ieee conference site further states:

Dr. Jacobs previously served as co-founder, president, chairman and CEO of LINKABIT Corporation, directing its growth from a few part-time employees in 1969 to over 1,400 employees in 1985, and first introduction of Ku-band Very Small Aperature Earth Terminals (VSATs), commercial TDMA wireless phones, and the VideoCipher® satellite-to-home TV system. LINKABIT merged with M/A-COM in August 1980, at which time Dr. Jacobs served on the company's board of directors until he resigned from M/A-COM in April 1985. (pimrc)

transcript of an oral history interview: he changed from hotel school into engineering. the other way around wouldn't be that of a surprise. at least nowadays, but back then, "on the eve the launch of sputnik" ...