Microwave Engineering Europe - June 2008 - (Page 12)

12 NEWS By JP Joosting, Microwave Engineering Europe IN BRIEF Wisair’s Wireless USB certiﬁed in Korea The Korean Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has approved a distribution of a Wireless USB solution based on Wisair’s WSR601 chip. Together with regulatory approvals already received in the U.S., Japan and Europe, Wisair’s solution now enables Wireless USB worldwide deployments with a single SKU (stock-keeping unit) model. The Wisair solution approved for operation in Korea includes a Wireless USB adapter, and is based on the company’s WSR601 CMOS single chip. The WSR601 is currently in production with several ODM partners with shipments to end consumers expected towards the end of this quarter. www.mwee.com/207603078 Tower Semiconductor buys Jazz Technologies Expanding its efforts in the specialty foundry arena, Tower Semiconductor Ltd. has signed a deal to acquire Jazz Technologies Inc. Under the terms, Tower will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Jazz at an equity value of approximately $40 million. The total value of the transaction, including net debt, is approximately $169 million. The move will expand Tower’s worldwide presence, but the deal also raises some concerns among observers. Jazz (Newport, Calif.) is struggling and has been on the block for some time. Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel) has also struggled and lost vast sums of money over the years. The deal is a surprise, as Tower was not considered a likely suitor to buy Jazz. Still, Tower and Jazz claim that they offer complementary technologies. The companies bring together Tower’s strength in CMOS image sensor, non-volatile memory and RF CMOS with Jazz’s expertise in mixed signal, power management and RF. Tower also expands its fab portfolio. The company has its fabs in Israel. Jazz has a fab in Newport Beach and has capacity agreements with various foundries in China. In total, the combined company offers capacity of approximately 750,000 8-inch wafer starts annually. The agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Tower and Jazz. www.mwee.com/207801166 RadioFrame readies second generation femtocell chip Femtocell processor and basestation specialist RadioFrame Networks (RFN) is readying a version of its OmniRadio processor that will be targeted at the LTE and WiMAX femtocells sector. The initial OmniRadio chip was one of the ﬁrst deployed in femtocells and works mainly on GSM/UMTS 2G/3G speciﬁcations. The company, which is headquartered in Redmond, WA and has facilities in Dublin, Ireland, says that the part will ensure an excellent performance-to-cost ratio in one chip that can support 2G, 3G and now LTE and WiMAX networks. The multi-processor platform, based on an ARM core and signal processing capabilities, also incorporates memory as well as the company’s patented and ﬁelded applications for packet synchronization that exceeds ETSI standards. RadioFrame’s upgradeable platform solution enables a wireless network provider to implement femtocells in 2G, 3G and 4G networks and upgrade those same femtocells remotely as requirements for standards change, www.mwee.com/207801167 Trio develop tester for enhanced GPS Agilent Technologies and Spirent Communications are to join CSR within the enhanced Global Positioning System (EGPS) Forum to create a test system for the EGPS standard. The EGPS Forum advocates improvement to location technologies in mobile devices and is committed to meeting both consumer and regulatory needs for precise and consistent levels of location information. The trio have developed a single system that can simulate both GPS and cellular signals to provide a development and test platform on which to build EGPS technologies. CSR and Motorola announced the intention to create the forum in January this year. Initial activities of the Forum will focus on evaluating hybrid technologies that enhance GPS by combining satellite measurements with timing measurements taken from cellular networks and on establishing the underlying infrastructure to ensure full interoperability of this technology. www.mwee.com/208300068 EC urged to allocate 25 percent of UHF spectrum for mobile broadband The European economy would receive a ﬁnancial boost of at least 95 billion Euros over the next 20 years if just one quarter of the UHF band were allocated for mobile broadband services, according to consultancy group Spectrum Value Partners (London). In a report commissioned by Ericsson, Nokia, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone, the consultancy, which focuses on communications technologies, analyzes the economic costs and beneﬁts of allocating different quantities of UHF spectrum for mobile broadband and broadcast use in Europe. Although the size of the beneﬁts differ between individual EC countries, the potential Euros 95 billion windfall to the European economy represents additional value speciﬁcally associated with the use of the UHF spectrum. The researchers suggest this is in addition to the Euros 2.5 trillion generated by the European mobile industry using other spectrum in the same period between 2008 and 2027. However, they also warn that delaying the release of UHF spectrum by three years would cost 20 billion Euros. So far, only three European countries have developed ﬁrm proposals for the digital dividend in Europe. www.mwee.com/207501722 Microwave Engineering Europe ● June 2008 ● www.mwee.com http://www.mwee.com/207801166 http://www.mwee.com/207603078 http://www.mwee.com/207801167 http://www.mwee.com/208300068 http://www.mwee.com/207501722 http://www.mwee.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Microwave Engineering Europe - June 2008

Microwave Engineering Europe - June 2008 Contents Comment News Cover Feature Designing and Simulating a Wireless LAN Antenna 60GHz: Achieving the Ultimate Wireless Dream New Radar Developments Include HFETs to Challenge DMOS/LDMOS and a 77-GHz CMOS PA for Automotive Applications Testing Raises Concerns Over 802.11-Based High-Speed Bluetooth IP2 & IP3 Design Considerations with Direct Conversion I/Q Demodulator Receiver Products Calendar

Microwave Engineering Europe - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.