Qualcomm has a habit of inventing proprietary technology that they then try to sell to vendors in order to build an ecosystem whereby they’re the only supplier of components therefore giving them free reign when it comes to dictating prices. Remember FloTV? It failed, and Qualcomm ended up selling the spectrum they bought for that bungled effort to AT&T, who will hopefully improve their network in the parts of America where many are struggling to remember the last time they actually made a phone call. Qualcomm’s newest technology is called “FlashLinq” and it’s toted as being an advancement of “proximal communications”. Think Bluetooth, and how when you’re bored with a bunch of your mates you send each other pictures of your girlfriend(s) or share ringtones. The difference between FlashLinq and Bluetooth however are that FlashLinq works for a distance of up to 1 kilometer, can connect with thousands of devices, and is ultra low power.
Will it take off? There’s no doubt in my mind that a “neighborhood-area network”, another term coined by Qualcomm, could prove useful, but we already have the technology to build such a network today. How difficult would it be to create a chat application that only allowed you to communicate with people connected to the same cell tower as you? Identify the tower, create a chat room, permit only those connected to said tower in the chatroom. Done. No need to invent a new “synchronous TDD OFDMA technology operating on dedicated licensed spectrum” to get the job done.
FlashLinq will be demoed at Mobile World Congress next week and I personally can’t wait to talk to the public relations person in charge and hear their attempt of making a convincing argument to handset makers and operators that they should jump on board and support a brand new technology that does absolutely nothing innovative. At least in my eyes.