CONTRACTS
Lockheed Martin and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA)—Lockheed Martin has received a $5.7-million
contract from DARPA to compete in Phase 1 development of
its System F6 space technology and demonstration program.
F6 is shorthand for “Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated,
Free-Flying Spacecraft United by Information Exchange.”
The DARPA System F6 program intends to demonstrate that
a traditional, large, monolithic satellite can be replaced by a
group of smaller, individually launched, wirelessly networked
and cluster-flown spacecraft modules. The ultimate goal of
the program is to launch a fractionated spacecraft system
and demonstrate it in orbit in approximately four years.
Tektronix Communications—Announced that its GeoProbe,
Advanced Performance Monitoring (APM), Orion, and
Beamer solutions have been selected by StarHub, Singapore’s
second largest info-communication company. Tektronix’s
solutions were selected to satisfy StarHub’s need for a roaming
management solution that could enable online monitoring
and alarm notification of its GSM and GPRS/3G networks
that interwork with overseas operators’ networks for
roaming services.
Mitec Telecom, Inc.—Received a second order from a major
cellular network operator in Africa to provide its very-smallaperture-
terminal (VSAT) block upconverter component.
Development and manufacturing will take place at Mitec’s
Montreal facility as well as in Suzhou, China.
Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd.—Is equipping its fleet of 125
ships with Iridium OpenPort optimized-bandwidth satellite
terminals under a service agreement with AND Group. The
first installations will take place this month with rollout to
the entire fleet by the end of this year.
FRESH STARTS
ON Semiconductor Corp.—Completed its acquisition of AMIS
Holdings, Inc. in a stock-for-stock merger. Holders of AMIS
will generally receive 1.15 shares of ON Semiconductor common
stock for each share of AMIS common stock they own.
ON Semiconductor issued a total of approximately 103 million
shares of common stock on a fully diluted basis to complete the
transaction. Former AMIS stockholders now own approximately
26 percent of ON Semiconductor.
RF Micro Devices (RFMD)—Completed its acquisition of Filtronic
Compound Semiconductors Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary
of Filtronic Plc. RFMD paid an acquisition price of approximately
12.5 million pounds in cash for Filtronic Compound
Semiconductors. The price included the purchase of Filtronic
Compound Semiconductors’ 6-in. GaAs wafer fabrication
facility at Newton Aycliffe, UK, and the purchase of Filtronic
Compound Semiconductors’ millimeter-wave RF semiconductor
business.
Agilent Technologies—Joined the Long Term Evolution/System
Architecture Evolution (LTE/SAE) Trial Initiative, which is
designed to validate the technology’s capability to bring highspeed
wireless broadband to the global market. Agilent is
contributing to LTE interoperability testing and field trials from
physical-layer air interface testing through protocol-layer test
and network diagnostics. Such test capacity further enables the
transition of LTE to a commercially deployable technology.
Orolia—Acquired Stockholm-based Pendulum Instruments. This
acquisition extends the competencies and market reach of Orolia
to a third area of expertise: the measurement of high-precision
time and frequency signals.
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)—Signed a definitive
agreement to acquire Icon Systems, Inc. This acquisition strengthens
SAIC’s position in the virtual and live training environments
and allows the company to provide a more comprehensive
array of capabilities in this arena. Icon will be an operation
within SAIC’s Analysis, Simulations, Systems, Engineering and
Training business unit.
SDR Forum—Eight organizations and educational institutions
that develop and promote new and innovative technologies
have joined the forum. They include: Adapt4 in Melbourne,
FL; Battery Ventures in Waltham, MA; eASIC in Santa Clara,
CA; KTH-Swedish Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm,
Sweden; OmniPhase Research Laboratories, Inc. in Newport
Beach, CA; Pioneer Consulting in Woburn, MA; QuickFlex, Inc.
in San Antonio, TX; and VIStology, Inc. in Framingham, MA.
Aeroflex and AT4 wireless—The WiMAX Forum has designated
the Aeroflex/AT4 wireless MINT223x protocol-conformance
test system and AT4 wireless MINT T2110 radio-conformance
test system as official test equipment for WiMAX Certification
(802.16-2005). Both systems have been installed and are being
used for WiMAX equipment certification at the first worldwide
WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Laboratory within
AT4 wireless’ Wireless Certification & Testing Laboratory in
Malaga, Spain.
SiGe Semiconductor—Reported that revenues for 2007 were US
$69 million—an increase of 40 percent year over year. Sales
were fueled by the growing demand for SiGe’s radio front-end
integrated circuits (ICs) and modules.
National Precision—Opened its third facility in Warrensville
Heights, OH. The new address is: 25901 Emery Road, Suite
103, Warrensville Heights, OH 44128.
Skyworks—Has received LG Electronics’ 2007 Best Supplier
Award. In addition, Skyworks was graded as Class A for its
work with LG in 2007. LG leverages Skyworks’ front-end
solutions for a variety of mobile handsets spanning all key air
interfaces including CDMA, GSM, and—increasingly—EDGE
and WCDMA for 3G multimode applications.
StratEdge—Has announced the success of its company-sponsored
Vanpool program. Organized in conjunction with the
San Diego Association of Governments’ (SANDAG) RideLink
Program, StratEdge enables employees to ride to and from
work for $5 a week. About 50 percent of StratEdge employees
participate in the Rideshare or StratEdge-sponsored publictransportation
programs.
Through this program, StratEdge leases passenger vans. An
employee volunteers to drive and take care of a van and there is
a back-up driver for each van. Employees meet at a local Park-NRide
location. StratEdge pays for the gas used for the commute.
The driver also gets to use the van during off hours.