QUALCOMM, Inc., a developer of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, has announced that it will be making acquisitions to complement its core wireless-technology offerings.
QUALCOMM will acquire for cash the WLAN technology provider Airgo Networks, Inc. and the majority of RF Micro Devices' (RFMD's) Bluetooth® assets.
"QUALCOMM's business strategy has always been integration, enhancing performance, and reducing time to market by offering complete solutions," comments Dr. Sanjay K. Jha, president of QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies. "With these two acquisitions, we will continue to extend our leadership in mobile broadband and will be offering our partners comprehensive chip sets with seamlessly integrated features."
"As the attach rate for Bluetooth and WLAN features in mobile handsets is poised to grow past the critical tipping point, these acquisitions become very timely," says Chris Ambrosio, director of wireless device strategies for Strategy Analytics. "With QUALCOMM now having the technologies of Airgo and RFMD's Bluetooth business in-house, manufacturers will now have access to more integrated solutions—chip sets that deliver expanded, seamless connectivity with enhanced performance and space savings."
Palo Alto, CA-based Airgo possesses intellectual-property assets and resources in WLAN technology and has provided WLAN products to both manufacturers of access points and laptop computers. In addition to supporting Airgo's existing business, QUALCOMM will be integrating their 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n technology into select Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) chip sets. QUALCOMM will also use this technology for chip sets on the new Snapdragon™ platform, which is designed to offer ubiquitous mobile broadband connectivity.
Under the agreement with RFMD, QUALCOMM will acquire the majority of North Carolina-based RFMD's Bluetooth assets, specifically those based in San Diego, CA. QUALCOMM will be integrating the Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) technology into MSM reference designs to offer its device manufacturing customers a more complete solution. RFMD's San Diego team currently designs technology for both the mobile handset and headset markets.