( CNN ) -- The company was founded in 1985 by seven communications industry veterans -- Franklin Antonio , Adelia Coffman , Andrew Cohen , Klein Gilhousen , Irwin Jacobs , Andrew Viterbi and Harvey White . One of Qualcomm 's first products was OmniTRACS , introduced in 1988 , which is currently the largest satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry . Today , Qualcomm 's patent portfolio includes approximately 6,100 United States patents and patent applications for CDMA and related technologies . More than 130 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide have licensed QUALCOMM 's essential CDMA patents . Qualcomm is among the members of the S & P 500 Index , Fortune 500 , and a winner of the U.S. Department of Labor 's '' Secretary of Labor 's Opportunity Award . '' The company has been listed among Fortune 's `` 100 Best Companies to Work For in America '' for nine years in a row and the magazine 's list of '' Most Admired Companies . '' Qualcomm 's Annual revenue for 2006 was $ 7.53 billion , with a net income of $ 2.47 billion . E-mail to a friend .
The company has become a huge name in communications in just 20 years . Qualcomm has a portfolio of approximately 6,100 U.S. patents . Fortune lists the company as one of the 100 best places to work in the U.S .