Intel, Qualcomm Bickering Derails IEEE Work Group

Staff Reporter -- Electronic News, 6/23/2006

A squabble between Intel and Qualcomm seems to have at least temporarily derailed an IEEE work group.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) suspended all activities of IEEE 802.20, its Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) Working Group, on June 8, the organization announced recently.

IEEE said in a statement announcing the suspension that "recent activity in the group appears to have become highly contentious – significantly beyond what is normally experienced in IEEE-SA." The institute also cited a "lack of transparency, possible 'dominance,' and other irregularities in the Working Group" as contributors to the decision to put the group's activity on hold.

The move to suspend the committee's activity was prompted partly by a complaint by two Intel engineers, according to a Wall Street Journal report.  Reportedly, Intel alleged that the group showed an unfair "bias" toward Qualcomm as a result of MBWA Working Group chairman Jerry Upton's “relationship” with Qualcomm.

For its part, Qualcomm, a San Diego wireless technology company, argued that Intel and allied companies are using IEEE procedures to stall development of 802.20 technology because it is a potential competitor to WiMax, a wireless technology backed by Intel.

"It is very clear that Intel's sudden interest and the sudden influx of its allies is designed not to contribute to 802.20, but to disrupt and to try to stop its development -- because they see it as a threat," Ronny Haraldsvik, a VP of marketing in Qualcomm's mobile broadband business, told the WSJ.

The MBWA Working Group is not expected to reconvene until at least October, the IEEE said, to allow the institute time to investigate the allegations.

The MBWA Working Group was assembled in 2002 to develop a standard method of building affordable, ubiquitous, always-on and interoperable multi-vendor mobile broadband wireless access networks, worldwide, that could be used in vehicles going up to 250 km/hour.