Qualcomm and NTT DoCoMo are forming a partnership to promote DoCoMo's third generation mobile phone services that employ W-CDMA technology for the first time outside of Japan. Field trials will begin soon to test the compatibility between DoCoMo's 3G FOMA network and mobile phone handsets that use chipsets developed by Qualcomm. Plans drawn up by the two companies call for field tests to be completed by the end of 2004.

 

Qualcomm said that it is in ongoing discussions with several handset manufacturers to develop FOMA I-mode handsets that use its chipsets. The company hopes to release the handsets to the public in the second half of 2005.