Qualcomm Gets Number One ABI Research GPS IC Vendor Matrix Ranking

Qualcomm, Inc. was recently ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research. Broadcom (News - Alert) Corp. and Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) took the second and third places in the company’s most recent evaluation of worldwide GPS IC vendors.

ABI Research developed The Vendor Matrix as an analytical tool to offer a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed based on the critical parameters of “innovation” and “implementation” across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix.

ABI Research (News - Alert) for this particular matrix, under "innovation," examined the vendors’ support for multiple design approaches and technologies which included multiple RF integration (combo-chips), Embedded GPS IC solutions and support for other GNSS constellations, such as Glonass.

In a release, Senior analyst Patrick Connolly said that “The sheer scale of Qualcomm’s (News - Alert) embedded GPS shipments powered it to number one in the matrix. However it would be wrong to underestimate its efforts on Glonass and alternative/hybrid location. There is very little to separate Broadcom and CSR (News - Alert): Broadcom offers a wide range of IC implementations, design innovations and major contract wins across a number of different vertical markets. CSR continues to drive innovation in terms of optimizing GPS IC performance to meet growing demand in emerging markets, while continuing to generate significant revenue from established markets. This is reflected in CSR’s recent Samsung Galaxy S II design win.”

Analysts also took into consideration during evaluate the vendors’ wireless assistance data support (A-GPS), alternative positioning technology support, sensor support and satellite-based augmentation system support (SBAS). The matrix also considers innovation in size, power consumption and recent product introductions.

Market Share, Consumer Market Focus, Professional, Industrial, and Military Market Focus, Fabricator (as opposed to Fabless) and Key Customer Wins were some of the criteria under “implementation” that ABI Research scrutinized.