GPS World

Tag: Intel

  • ST-Ericsson Sells GPS Business to Intel

    ST-Ericsson, a joint venture of STMicroelectronics and Ericsson, has sold its mobile connectivity GNSS business to Intel.

    ST-Ericsson, which focuses on mobile and wireless chips, announced the sale on Tuesday without naming the buyer. An Intel spokesman later said the U.S. chipmaker bought the assets.

    According to ST-Ericsson, the sale “represents another step in the execution of Ericsson’s and ST’s announcement of March 18, 2013,” when the company announced it was winding down the joint venture. Ericsson will assume 1,800 employees and contractors, with the largest concentrations in Sweden, Germany, India and China. ST will assume 950 employees, primarily in France and in Italy.

    In addition to the assets and intellectual property rights associated with this business, 130 employees in Daventry, UK, Bangalore, India, and Singapore are anticipated to join Intel at closing of the transaction, and will be added to Intel’s already-existing GPS assets.

    The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and standard conditions and is expected to be completed in August. ST-Ericsson estimates the proceeds from the sale, combined with the avoidance of employee restructuring charges and other related restructuring costs, will reduce the joint venture’s cash needs by approximately $90 million.

    “Today’s transaction validates the leading innovation developed by ST-Ericsson in mobile navigation systems and marks a further important step towards the execution of our shareholders’ decision to exit from ST-Ericsson” commented Carlo Ferro, President and CEO of ST-Ericsson. “I am pleased that this organization will continue to develop leading-edge technologies and delighted that the team found a new home at a leading player in the semiconductor industry.”

  • u-blox Collaborates with Intel on Dedicated HSPA

    u-blox and Intel collaborate on a 3G-only module to lower design, test and certification costs.
    u-blox and Intel collaborate on a 3G-only module to lower design, test and certification costs.

    Swiss-based u-blox, a provider of wireless and positioning semiconductors, software and solutions, announced that the company is collaborating with Intel Corporation to bring a small, cost-effective 3G-only HSPA module to the market.

    Based on Intel’s XMM 6255 HSPA modem platform, the chipset will be packaged in a compact, low- cost module that maintains layout compatibility with u-blox’ SARA 2G and LISA 3G module series, the company said. u-blox’ 2G-3G-4G nested design philosophy allows product designers to offer tailored solutions to their target markets based on a single PCB design. This facilitates product diversity and easy migration while keeping price at a minimum through reduced design, test, logistics and certification costs, u-blox said.

    “As operators start to sunset their GSM/GPRS services, we have partnered with Intel to bring the cost of 3G connectivity down,” said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, president of u-blox America. “For 3G-only M2M devices, our compact  HSPA-only module, which is about the size of a quarter, is layout compatible with our popular SARA GSM/GPRS wireless module series. This is the perfect combination for the North American market.” The modem supports full HSPA connectivity and low power consumption in an ultra-small form factor.

    “The XMM 6255 platform is latest innovation by Intel and specifically designed for M2M,” said Horst Pratsch, head of product line modules and M2M at Intel Corporation. “Integrating the 3G power amplifier in the transceiver delivers the smallest possible size and lowest number of components enabling new applications of 3G in machine-to-machine applications. Intel is pleased to work with u-blox in bringing this solution to the market.”

    Based on Intel X-GOLD 625 digital- and analog- baseband with integrated Power Management Unit and the Intel SMARTi UE2p transceiver for 3G, the Intel XMM 6255 platform is the smallest available HSPA modem chipset. Its compact size and powerful HSPA performance enables u-blox to create the world’s smallest dedicated 3G modem module dedicated to operation over 3G networks worldwide.