u-Nav is a manufacturer of global positioning system (GPS) chipsets and software that enable mobile location-based products and services. The addition of u-Nav’s GPS products and technologies to Atheros’ Radio-on-Chip for Mobile (ROCm) portfolio will enable the company to deliver high-performance, cost-efficient combinations of mobile solutions including wireless local area network (WLAN), Bluetooth and GPS technologies, the company claimed.
Further, due to this acquisition Atheros expects to expand into new market segments and offer a greater share of the total bill of materials for mobile devices. On the technology side, Atheros expects to provide wireless coexistence, supporting multiple radios in a single device for local area networking, personal area networking and mobile location-based services.
Their engineering team possesses significant RF design expertise on CMOS technology, which complements Atheros’ design capability and culture. With u-Nav’s GPS competency we will deliver an impressive set of wireless solutions that include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, increasing the value we bring to our customers, said Craig Barratt, president and chief executive at Atheros.
From this acquisition, 54 employees of the u-Nav will be transferred to Atheros. Also, Atheros will take-up the patent cross-license agreement already in place between u-Nav and SiRF Technology.
In a similar move, in January 2006, flash storage cards manufacturer SanDisk acquired three-dimensional integrated circuits manufacturer Matrix Semiconductor to expand its low cost chip product portfolio.
Source: ComputerWire daily updates
