Qualcomm Co-Founders To Be Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Two local inventors will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame this year. Qualcomm co-founders Irwin Jacons and Andrew Viterbi, both locals, join 15 others from 10 other companies as inductees into the Hall of Fame created by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which announced the honors Wednesday.

The induction ceremony will take place on May 1 in Alexandria, Virginia. The National Inventors Hall of Fame said it accepts nominees annually and a candidate's invention "must have had a major impact on society, the public welfare and the progress of science and the useful arts."

Jacobs and Viterbi were inducted for their CDMA technology:

Jacobs and Viterbi, two of Qualcomm’s co-founders, were major contributors to code division multiple access (CDMA) technology that is used in cellular telephone networks. CDMA now supports over 1.6 billion subscribers in developing and developed countries with voice and high speed Internet access. It was standardized for North America in 1993.

For a full list of inductees, please visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.