Qualcomm to set up research centre in S.Korea
US mobile phone chipmaking giant Qualcomm said Monday it would set up a research and development centre in South Korea to develop new technologies.
The company said it would also invest four million dollars in Pulsus Technologies, a South Korean maker of digital audio technology chips.
The centre in South Korea would be Qualcomm's second outside the United States.
Qualcomm chief Paul Jacobs told reporters the centre would focus on multimedia projects in cooperation with South Korean companies and academic institutions, according to Yonhap news agency.
"This centre will be linked directly with Qualcomm overall corporate (research and development)," he was quoted as saying.
Qualcomm retains top status in the mobile chipmaking market and owns key patents for its code division multiple access system, the world's most widely used wireless network standard.
South Korean handset makers rely heavily on Qualcomm chips.
Jacobs said his company would push ahead with legal action to try to overturn a decision by South Korea's antitrust watchdog.
In July last year the Fair Trade Commission fined Qualcomm a record 260 billion won (then worth 208 million dollars) for violating fair competition rules by abusing its market monopoly.
(c) 2010 AFP
