THE GOOD news for the telecom sector is that the US subprime crisis may not have a very pronounced impact on it. At least that’s what Dr Sanjay Jha, COO of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies feels. “Data from the Semi-conductor Industry Association (SIA) indicates that while there is single-digit growth in the US semi-conductor sector, certain markets are driving this growth. In particular, wireless, portable and consumer markets have enjoyed double-digit growth. There are, of course, predictions of a slow-down, or even a down-turn as we go through 2008, but I am unsure of the effect of the subprime loan implications for the wireless sector. During the Korean Won crisis, we did not see a pronounced impact on the cell phone market, perhaps because cell phones are now considered a necessity and not a luxury item. The higher end of the market could be affected, but the data so far is that smartphone sales are actually on the rise,” says Dr Jha, who is the seniormost executive of Indian origin at Qualcomm.

In fact, he’s not even sure whether the US is seeing a downturn yet or not. “Certainly, about twothirds of the US economy is driven by the consumer sector, and of that a significant portion is driven by consumer borrowing. A combination of house-price decline, and more stringent terms around borrowing, and energy price increase is likely to make consumers cautious on spending. It is not clear yet how this caution will translate into the US semi-conductor industry. Also, enterprise spending in the US can help offset the consumer spending slow-down,” he opines. As for India, Dr Jha is confident that the economy will weather the slowdown relatively well. “Unlike China, India is not yet an export-driven economy. So, there is some reason to believe that even if there is a slowdown or recession, the Indian economy will weather it relatively well,” he says.

Dr Jha, who began his career at Qualcomm 1994 and was promoted to vice president of engineering in 1997, and then to senior vice president of engineering in 1998, became executive vice president of Qualcomm and president of QCT in 2003. Besides, he is a member of the Qualcomm Ventures advisory committee. In June 2005, he was elected to the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in India.

Dr Jha who holds a PhD in electronic and electrical engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, sees no glass ceiling as far as Indians are concerned in high-tech jobs in the US. “IT professionals from India have reached new heights of success over the years. I believe that the industry recognises the talent that lies in India,” he avers. He adds that he finds that Indians are competing and contributing in every capacity in the high-tech industry in the US.

As a board member of the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) and a champion of the semiconductor industry in India, Dr Jha feels that the focus here should be on bridging the gap in terms of technology literacy, voice and data connectivity and education.