Qualcomm Climbs as Emerging Markets Speed Smartphone Shift

Qualcomm Inc., the largest seller of mobile-phone semiconductors, rose after quarterly results showed consumers in emerging markets are trading up to next-generation handsets, lifting profitability.

Consumers outside Europe and North America are shifting to more advanced devices, Chief Executive Officer Paul Jacobs said in an interview. That’s adding to the company’s licensing revenue, and increasing the likelihood that phone makers will opt for chips from Qualcomm. The average price that Qualcomm will use to calculate licensing revenue will be $216 to $222 for fiscal 2012, from an earlier estimate of $207 to $217.