Andrew J. Viterbi is a pioneer of wireless digital communications technology. He is best known as the creator of the digital decoding technique used in direct-broadcast satellite television receivers and in wireless cellular telephones, as well as numerous other applications. He is co-founder, Chief Technical Officer, and Vice Chairman of QUALCOMM Incorporated, developer of mobile satellite and wireless land communication systems employing CDMA technology. Dr. Viterbi has received numerous awards, including the Christopher Columbus Medal, the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Award, the Marconi International Fellowship Award, the IEEE Information Society Shannon Lecturer Award, and awards from the NEC C&C Foundation and the Eduard Rhein Foundation.