Situation Analysis
Qualcomm identified Korea as a test market for its advanced technology and as a result, Korea become one of the first countries to fully commercially launch its CDMA technology. The Korean Government and media considered Qualcomm as a key partner in the expansion of the telecommunications industry and Korean handset manufacturers benefited from an increase in domestic and overseas sales. However, key stakeholders complained constantly about Qualcomm ‘s high royalties and the company was positioned in the media as taking advantage of Korea. The government also failed to recognize Qualcomm’s CDMA technology as 3G but only as 2.5G.

Strategy & Implementation
The strategy was to ensure that Korea received recognition as a leader in advanced telecommunications both within Korea and on the international stage and that the Korean government and media acknowledged the key role that Qualcomm had played in raising Korea’s status and market share in the telecommunications sector as a result of this core technology. Qualcomm achieved this recognition by raising awareness at home and abroad that its CDMA2000 1x technology was in fact 3G and that Korea was the first country in the world to launch it.

Burson-Marsteller took immediate steps to brief reporters on the merits of CDMA2000 1x as 3G Articles supporting the position of CDMA2000 and third party materials were gathered and disseminated to the media. Qualcomm sponsored Korea’s largest technology trade fair and the QUALCOMM CDMA Technology President visited Korea and presented a plaque to SK Telecom acknowledging it as the first company in Korea with a 3G platform

Results
The Minister of Information and Communication declared CDMA2000 1x to be 3G technology and the Korean trade media reversed their positions and coverage reflected Qualcomm in a positive light. Strong coverage on Korea’s leadership position in the telecommunications field was also generated in the international media resulting in Qualcomm restoring its positioning as true partner to Korea with key stakeholders.