QUALCOMM buys nPhase

Its recent buy of wireless machine-to-machine communications specialist nPhase gives wireless solutions supplier QUALCOMM a complementary telemetry product that supports remote diagnostics and services for fixed assets.

"Our business has been focused on the mobile market, while nPhase has been focused primarily on fixed telemetry," says Tom Doyle, VP of strategic business development for QUALCOMM. "Not only are the two complementary, but almost every application has an opportunity to combine the two."

Steve Pazol, former CEO of nPhase, and now VP and general manager of the QUALCOMM business unit, concurs. "nPhase is helping manufacturers put smart or remote service capabilities into their equipment as their products become more commoditized. The problem you have with many companies striving to develop their service business is that it is reactive. You only know there's a problem when a robot or air compressor is broken."

nPhase enables real-time remote monitoring that averts such problems, as well as diagnostics for field repair before a technician is even dispatched to resolve a problem.

"There are plenty of reasons the QUALCOMM/nPhase marriage makes sense for prospective buyers of RPS [remote product service] solutions," concludes Mark Vigoroso, a service director with Boston-based Aberdeen Group.