Qualcomm is upping the ante in its global push to bring 5G to the masses.
The U.S. semiconductor and telecom giant revealed Monday it is acquiring the remaining portion of RF360, its joint venture with Japanese electronics giant TDK Corporation. The company expects the deal to aid in the development of efficient 5G devices. Qualcomm said the deal brings the total purchase price of RF360 to $3.1 billion.
"We're adding a number of new employees to Qualcomm, and it's just the last milestone in our journey to be building RF [radio frequency] business for Qualcomm," said Cristiano Amon, President of Qualcomm, in an interview with Cheddar Monday. A statement from the company says the full acquisition of RF360 means Qualcomm will be "able to provide customers a complete end-to-end solution from modem to antenna."
"The next goal, which I think will start in 2020, is to scale 5G," said Amon. He told Cheddar a top priority for the tech company is "getting 5G not only in the premium tier, but bring to our 7 and 6 series Snapdragon platforms [mobile processors] so we can have phones at multiple platforms for 5G."
The San Diego-based tech company announced earlier this month that it is expanding its portfolio of 5G mobile platform across Snapdragon 8 Series, 7 Series, and 6 Series in 2020. Qualcomm said the rollout has the potential to make 5G accessible to more than 2 billion smartphone users, which Amon said will be most impactful for consumers in services such as video game streaming and social media.
"More and more video will be consumed in mobile devices, and even live content, or sports content, because you have the reliability," Amon said. "Social, a lot more of interaction will happen because of the response time. There's going to be a lot more live aspects to Facebook and the other social platforms. And then we go into gaming," he added. "You'll see gaming evolving to mobile platforms, and 5G will make all of that a reality."
Qualcomm already has found success integrating its technology into early 5G devices, such as the Samsung A90 5G smartphone.
"With probably one exception, every 5G-announced smartphone design, in all the major [original equipment manufacturers], are using Qualcomm technologies."
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
