Qualcomm is licensing Skyhook location technology

Skyhook Wireless of Boston said today that Qualcomm Inc. has a license to incorporate Skyhook's Wi-Fi Positioning System, or WPS, into Qualcomm's positioning technology platforms.

Qualcomm of California develops and delivers digital wireless communications products and services.

According to Skyhook, its WPS is a software-only system that produces accurate location information by detecting Wi-Fi access points and comparing them against a known database of geo-located points.

Global positioning systems, in contrast, use satellites to pinpoint locations. But such systems don't always work well in cities where large buildings can block signals. As a Globe story from earlier this year pointed out, GPS and WPS are likely to complement each other when it comes to offering location-based services that work well in multiple environments, including big cities and rural areas.

Skyhook said in a press release, "By combining Qualcomm's market-leading gpsOne solution - the most widely deployed A-GPS solution available - with Skyhook's location technologies, Qualcomm will enable future mobile device manufacturers, mobile operators, third-party service providers, and application developers to utilize a single, integrated hybrid positioning solution."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)