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Consortium to buy Freescale for $17.6B

AUSTIN, Texas-Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor Inc. said it signed a definitive merger agreement to be bought by a private-equity consortium led by The Blackstone Group. The transaction is valued at $17.6 billion.Other members of the consortium include The Carlyle Group, Permira Funds and Texas Pacific...

Report: Freescale subject of bidding war

WASHINGTON--Freescale Semiconductor Inc. confirmed last week it is talking with parties relating to a possible transaction characterized by a New York Times story as a bidding war between two private equity firms to acquire the chipmaker for $16 billion. The Times, citing sources involved...

Powerwave modifies details of Filtronic purchase

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Powerwave Technologies Inc. reworked its $336 million acquisition agreement with Filtronic plc, paring the deal down to $185 million in cash along with 17.7 million in shares of Powerwave common stock. In June, the two companies struck an agreement to transfer Filtronic's...

Powerwave modifies details of Filtronic purchase

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Powerwave Technologies Inc. reworked its $336 million acquisition agreement with Filtronic plc, paring the deal down to $185 million in cash along with 17.7 million in shares of Powerwave common stock. In June, the two companies struck an agreement to transfer Filtronic’s...

SiGe attracts $19.5 million in financing

METHUEN, Mass.-SiGe Semiconductor raised $19.5 million in an expansion round of financing led by venture-capital and private-equity firms, the company announced. SiGe Semiconductor makes radio frequency modules that are integrated into GSM-, GPRS- and EDGE-enabled mobile handsets, Bluetooth-enabled devices, GPS and telematics systems, WiMAX...

SiGe attracts $19.5M in VC funding

METHUEN, Mass.—SiGe Semiconductor raised $19.5 million in an expansion round of financing led by venture-capital and private-equity firms, the company announced. SiGe Semiconductor makes radio frequency modules that are integrated into GSM-, GPRS- and EDGE-enabled mobile handsets, Bluetooth-enabled devices, GPS and telematics systems, WiMAX...

Samsung touts UMA handset in Italy

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung's SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips' Philips Semiconductor division. Philips' Nexperia offering uses the company's low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...

Samsung touts UMA handset in Italy

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. launched a handset equipped with Unlicensed Mobile Access technology in Italy. Samsung’s SGH-P200 phone runs on the Nexperia chip from Royal Philips’ Philips Semiconductor division. Philips’ Nexperia offering uses the company’s low-power wireless local area network system-in-package that integrates...

On the run? Forget cash, just wave the magic phone: Commercial launch of NFC imminent

The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...

Philips Semiconductor sold to private-equity firm: Repositions for future competition

Look out, Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG. Your closest competitor in EDGE baseband chips and W-CDMA RF transceivers, respectively-Philips Semiconductor-has a new, ambitious owner anxious to position its acquisition to eat your lunch. Or at least grow Philips Semiconductor by feeding on...

StarCore exits chip efforts

AUSTIN, Texas-StarCore L.L.C. is closing up shop due to a lack of success in licensing its early digital signal processor family of chips. The company had hoped to challenge Texas Instruments Inc.'s leadership position in the DSP market. The shutdown is set for Aug....

Philips offloads chip business to private equity consortium

AMSTERDAM—Royal Philips Electronics announced plans to sell a majority stake in its semiconductor business as the company transitions away from cyclical activities to focus on developing itself into a healthcare- and lifestyle-focused company. Philips is selling an 80.1-percent stake in its semiconductor business, which...

StarCore shuttering chip efforts

AUSTIN, Texas—StarCore L.L.C. is closing up shop due to a lack of success in licensing its early digital signal processor family of chips. The company had hoped to eventually challenge Texas Instruments Inc.’s leadership position in the DSP market. The shutdown is set for...

Motorola’s vision going forward

ROSEMONT, Ill.-Though much pent-up interest was focused on Motorola's handset announcements, company execs talk about operations, supply chain, finances, product roadmap and whether Motorola could sustain its recent robust performance-in sum, both the "vision thing" and the nitty-gritty. CEO Ed Zander strode the stage,...

LG falters with results below expectations

SEOUL, South Korea— LG Electronics Co. Ltd. reported a net loss of $10.1 million on static sales of $6.1 billion in the second quarter on lackluster handset shipments and poor performance in its liquid crystal display joint venture with Philips Electronics. The net loss...

Marvell’s CEO sheds light on plans for Intel purchase

Now that the dust has settled on news that Marvell Technology Group Ltd. will purchase Intel Corp.'s communications and application processor businesses for $600 million, many observers would love to know how Marvell plans to garner growth-never mind a simple return-on-investment-from the transaction. Sehat...

Chip-maker PulseWave nabs $30M in VC funds

AUSTIN, Texas—Fabless semiconductor company PulseWave RF Inc. said it raised $30 million in its third funding round. Oak Investment Partners led the round, and existing investors Austin Ventures, Bay Partners and Genesis Campus also participated.PulseWave said it plans to use the funding to commercialize...

Intel teams with Siano for mobile TV chips

NETANYA, Israel-Intel Corp. has selected Siano Mobile Silicon's multi-band, multi-standard receiver chipset for Intel's mobile TV reference platform in its Xscale product line. The collaboration comes at a time when mobile TV component makers are matching up with chipset and handset vendors. The news...

Weekly wireless ratings wrap-up

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Click here for wireless ratings from past weeks from RCR Wireless News. CarrierStandard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised its short-term rating on Qwest Communications International...

Sequoia snaps up $25M in funding

SAN DIEGO—Sequoia Communications, a fabless RF semiconductor company, said it raised $25 million in its series E round of financing. The round was led by BlueRun Ventures and included participation from Tallwood Venture Capital and Motorola Ventures. As part of the round, Rob Schwartz,...

Intel teams with Siano for mobile TV chips

NETANYA, Israel—Intel Corp. has selected Siano Mobile Silicon’s multi-band, multi-standard receiver chipset for Intel’s mobile TV reference platform in its Xscale product line. The collaboration comes at a time when mobile TV component makers are matching up with chipset and handset vendors. The news...

Qualcomm boosts financial forecast on strong demand

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. boosted its financial guidance for the third fiscal quarter ending June 25 due to what the company said was strong demand for its chips for W-CDMA handsets and CDMA network gear. The San Diego-based chip vendor said its pro forma revenues...

Intel speculation on mobile hits high note

In determining its path to a profitable future, Intel Corp. faces what other companies have faced before: the fundamental question of focus. Should Intel focus on core competencies, even if that's in cooling markets, or should it endure a slide in earnings and stock...

Cell phones drive semiconductor market

SAN JOSE, Calif.-A new report from the Semiconductor Industry Association predicts semiconductor sales worldwide will grow 9.8 percent to nearly $250 billion this year, driven largely by the cell-phone market. The new forecast is an increase from November forecasts that projected an increase of...