Qualcomm recently purchased Dublin-based Xiam technologies in an effort to strengthen it’s “internet services” division and to add another layer of mobile innovation to it’s portfolio.
Xiam offers a highly targeted ad-serving platform designed to combine a vast amount of information from a user’s online habits, with an inventory of third-party advertisers. Named “My Personal Offer System” or MPOS, the platform takes into account what the user is looking for, and then recognizes similar content on the page and in real-time serves a relevant offer. If a user is searching for a ring tone of a specific song, for example, the platform could return an advertisement to download that song in real-time. Xiam explains is as…
…a Targeting and Profiling solution that enables Mobile Operators to proactively promote discovery and usage of content and services through personalized offers to individual subscribers, and open their inventories to 3rd party Advertising. Advanced Profiling Techniques and a 360° understanding of all available assets work alongside a sophisticated Recommendations engine to target offers precisely for each individual user.
This purchase marks the second acquisition in less than a year by Qualcomm to boost it’s mobile commerce offerings and to break away from it’s core chip-making business. They’ve faced several patent infringement lawsuits recently, and are toying with the idea of spinning of it’s chip making division into a separate entity to better protect themselves from litigation. By boosting it’s other services, Qualcomm can diversify themselves to better protect against losses like these.
Qualcomm’s internet services division recently introduced BREW, which is a platform to enable gaming and other advanced features on cell phones, as well as purchased Firethorn Holdings, a company that offers mobile banking technology. The addition of Xiam only enhances their division further. They’ll continue to offer the “My Personal Offer System” as a standalone service, while incorporating the technology into other offerings.
