PALO ALTO, Calif.--Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced it will acquire four-year-old Sirius Communications NV, a Brussels-based developer of ASICs for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cell phones and satellite communications systems.
In 1996, Sirius was spun out of IMEC, an independent research organization in Belgium, to pursue CDMA chip solutions that are implemented with direct sequence spread spectrum technology for a wide range of telecommunications applications. Sirius, which employs 19 workers, has licenses its CDMAx wideband (W-CDMA) transceiver technology to device manufacturers and telecommunications companies.
Agilent did not release the terms of the acquisition agreement.
The acquired CDMA and W-CDMA technology will be used by Agilent to address a range of third-generation (3G) cell phone and wireless applications, including new "hybrid" personal digital assistants with cellular telephone capabilities.
"Our plan is to integrate Sirius' technology with Agilent's existing data processing capability, and then combine it with our RF integrated circuits to form a complete wireless PDA solution," said Steve Hoffmann, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Imaging Electronics Division. "We also plan to merge Agilent's CMOS digital camera sensors, optical navigation sensors and infrared transceivers to deliver a whole new generation of mobile information appliances."
Agilent said it will investment in Sirius to position the operation as the company's 3G design center. Once the purchase is completed, the Brussels-based company will become a part of Agilent's Semiconductor Products Group.
"Having Sirius' design team as its 3G design center, located at the heart of Europe, is expected to ensure that Agilent is at the leading edge of universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) developments," said Lieven Philips, chief executive officer of Sirius.
