NEW DELHI - September 2, 2009 – Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq:  QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, and Azim Premji Foundation, which has a vision of contributing to universal quality of education that facilitates just, equitable and humane society, today announced an initiative that will advance web-enabled educational content and provide wireless broadband access to certain rural and government-run schools in India.

The initiative, in its pilot phase, will connect close to forty government-run schools in underserved communities across four states – Gujarat, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan.  The project is aimed at impacting government schools through provision of wireless broadband technologies and facilitates enriched learning experiences for students through engaging web-enabled and regionalized / contextualized educational content that can be easily updated and disseminated broadly.  

Azim Premji Foundation’s vision to significantly contribute to achieve universal education as a fundamental right for every child finds common ground with Qualcomm’s desire to empower education in rural communities by using advanced wireless technologies through its Wireless Reach™ initiative.  Both organizations believe that wireless technology has the potential to be a catalyst for development, changing mindsets and promoting access to quality education that is fundamental to India’s emergence as a developed nation.

“Qualcomm believes wireless technology is the most efficient and economic way to connect underserved communities and provide access to quality education and we are pleased to be working with Azim Premji Foundation,” said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm.  “Through our Wireless Reach initiative, this project will expand access to education in these communities and demonstrate our commitment to the people of India.”

“We believe that technologically enabled, modern classrooms have enormous potential to contribute to quality in all government schools, especially in rural India,” said Mr. Azim H. Premji, chairman of Wipro and founder of Azim Premji Foundation.  “We are excited to work with Qualcomm and to leverage its technological expertise and experience in similar projects across the world.”

Azim Premji Foundation is currently engaged in piloting and developing a ‘proof of concept’ that can act as a catalyst for systemic change in India’s 1.3 million government-run schools.  Among other actions, the Foundation considers new and innovative information and communication technologies tools as important in contributing to quality and widely explores the use of information technology to support learning processes in schools.

Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative aims to empower communities that have limited or no telecommunications access through the use of 3G technologies, which will help contribute to long-term socio-economic development.

Azim Premji Foundation is a not for profit organization that aims to contribute to large scale systemic change at macro level through deeper understanding of the micro level.  The approach is to partner with the respective state governments to implement large scale initiatives in government schools.  These initiatives are in identified key areas such as examination reform, teacher development, education leadership and management, and the use of technology for education.

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies.  Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 100 Index, the S&P 500 Index and is a 2009 FORTUNE 500® company.  For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com.

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.  Wireless Reach is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.    All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.