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Qualcomm appoints the guy in the white hat to pacify European hostility

How much business did Flarion get in Europe because they offered the best wireless broadband solution? - and how much did they get because they were an alternative to Qualcomm? Qualcomm itself has recognised, at last, that it has a problem - and has appointed Flarion's EU boss as President of Qualcomm Europe.

 Europe's carriers aren't yet ready to admit they bought Brooklyn Bridge when they followed the HSDPA standard for high speed data, and most of them won't even start to understand the limitations until later this year, when they can start real world tests. But the decision by Slovakia to go with Flarion's Flash-OFDM platform was made before Qualcomm decided to take the company over.

"The Americans really don't understand why they are so unpopular in Europe," said one consultant specialising in mobile networking, speaking on condition his name was not used. "But it's not a secret that GSM was developed, at least partly, in order to have intellectual property not owned by Qualcomm."

Andrew Gilbert is probably not yet ready to admit that he was appointed as much for his former role as head of Flarion Europe, as for his personal achievements. He's likely to want to emphasise his impressive track record, with Motorola, both in mobile and fixed line; and working for Racal, N.E.T, JTec and Soma rolling out networking technologies like Frame Relay, ATM and IP networking.

Qualcomm, however, will see his appointment as a sort of olive branch, held in the tender beak of a pure white dove of peace. It will take them - and Gilbert - some time to stop European telcos seeing him more as a pigeon with a full load, looking for a target; and if Gilbert's White Hat is, so to speak, still snowy white after another six months, it will surprise many.

"Qualcomm is, basically, an IP management company; they own intellectual property, and bite your arm off if you have to sign with them. It's a company where you meet the legal team first, and the technologists afterwards," said another consultant, also asking to keep his head down out of sigh of San Diego.

Friends of Gilbert (not available for comment by the time this went for publication) say that his appointment is unusual, in the sense that the manager of a tiny company swallowed by a giant is not normally put in charge of the new operation. "You have to see this as some kind of acknowledgement by Qualcomm of their unpopularity in the market," said one insider.

They know the Enemy, at least. If there is one electronic giant which is less loved than Qualcomm in Euro telco circles, it would have to be Intel. So the announcement of Gilbert's appointment came with the appetiser:

"If you are interested in finding out how Qualcomm is planning to use FLASH-OFDM to combat WiMAX..." - another blatant attempt to whitewash the headgear without standing under any birds. Intel, of course, is the major driver of the WiMAX hype machine.

It remains to be seen if this will work. Short-term results are unlikely; the European market is still testing its first terminals for HSDPA, and the Awful Truth is not yet apparent. At that point, the operators will face a choice of WiFi and IP Wireless technology, or Flarion; and Qualcomm probably has a year to wear its new white hat in public before potential customers start to trust the corporation.

Tags: Qualcomm, Flarion, HDSPA