jan 31, 2014 - QualComm founder a fan long before ‘Start Up Nation’ (Israel) -The Times of Israel 2014, Jan 31

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QualComm founder a fan long before ‘Start-Up Nation’
-The Times of Israel 2014, Jan 31

A huge corporation, QualComm — with a market cap in excess of $100 billion — has 157 facilities in dozens of countries around the world, including Israel. Last year, the company celebrated the 20th anniversary of its presence in Israel, where it has developed some of its most innovative technologies.

Among the technologies developed by QualComm Israel are the company’s m2m (machine to machine) cellular platform, which is used to track the location of pets, kids, the elderly, and property, a spokesperson said. It’s part of QualComm’s attempt to create an “Internet of Everything,” where objects are intelligently connected through a combination of advanced wireless networks, modules, sensors and software to enable the real-time exchange of information — with key elements developed in QualComm’s Haifa facility, the company said. Among the products that have resulted from that technology is Tagg, the pet-tracking device.

Jacobs started his career in telephony and communications in 1968, when he founded Linkabit. The company eventually morphed into QualComm in 1985. By that time, Jacobs was very familiar with Israel — and Israelis. “I come to Israel about twice a year; the first time was right before the Yom Kippur War in 1973,” he said. Throughout QualComm’s early years, “a number of Israelis came to work with us in the US. Some stayed and some went back, and we kept working with them, until we eventually decided to open an Israeli office in 1993,” explained Jacobs.

Among QualComm’s great contributions to mobile technology was development of the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) standard, which paved the way for fast 3G and 4G communications. Israeli teams helped to develop the standards for those technologies, Jacobs said.

In the early days of cellphone technology (the mid-1990s), few expected that the mobile revolution would reach the proportions of today. And in recent years, bandwidth — the amount of space on the radio bandwidths dedicated to cellular communications — has become very crowded, because of the proliferation of devices and services that consume so much data. Israel, said Jacobs, is an area where QualComm is developing the technology to solve this data-traffic mire.

“Israel’s biggest contributions to mobile technology is its ability to design better ways of controlling things, increasing data rates and enabling us to squeeze more out of existing bandwidth, using technology such as femtocells,” Jacobs said. “In addition, Israelis are developing some wonderful apps, such as those that can be used for telemedicine, enabling doctors to diagnose and consult with patients remotely.”

Israel has always held an important place in his heart, “both because of my background [Jacobs was born to a Jewish family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1933] and for professional reasons. Israel is a very admirable country with great universities,” he said. “The kids go to the army and come out very mature, displaying great talent. We’re very pleased to be a part of it, and pleased that Israel is an important part of QualComm.”

The annual Innovex event bring together some of the leading figures in tech from around the world to discuss new and upcoming technologies, said Shlomo Gradman, chairman of the event. “Innovation to Israeli high tech is like fuel for a vehicle,” Gradman said. “Innovation and creativity are our biggest assets, and we have to grow them like any company would do with its key and competitive advantages.

“This is why I initiated Innovex,” he added. “I am very proud to see so many companies and organizations that joined our initiative and worked together to secure the next generation of innovation in Israeli high tech.”

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