Tech Rumor of the Day: Qualcomm

So what gives Lauer any confidence in this 3.25% number? He said recent negotiations with licensees, presumably Nokia and other phone makers, have given him "good certainty going forward for our company in terms of 4G rates."

Qualcomm has spent more than a decade negotiating, litigating and developing its way to a strong patent licensing position in wireless technology. The company's fortunes were transformed in the 1990s when it won a patent dispute against Ericsson (ERIC Quote), giving Qualcomm claims to CDMA digital network technology.

You may recall, at the height of the tech bubble a PaineWebber analyst put a $1,000 price target on Qualcomm's stock under the belief that wireless expansion would pave its road with gold.

It's been a long lucrative run for Qualcomm's CDMA royalty stream, and Lauer says it's not ending any time soon.

"You will see 4G networks rolled out in big urban areas," Lauer said. But that doesn't mean phone companies will shut down 3G networks. And as long as 3G networks are operating, says Lauer, "3G rates will prevail."

One thing worth noting though, Qualcomm's rates are occasionally disputed and renegotiated, as Nokia (NOK Quote) showed last year.