Infineon Technologies and Golden Gate Capital have announced that Infineon's wireline communications division will become Lantiq after the closing of the recently announced transaction.

Qualcomm CEO promotes "smartbooks" and says the US is ready to lose its reputation as a laggard in wireless.

Even if the STMicroelectronics assignment would be large enough to keep the utilization up far enough, it would not suffice to guarantee the company's competitiveness. But, as Buddha said: Every journey begins with the first step.

German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies has posted a significantly-narrowed third-quarter net loss on improved wireless sales and manufacturing efficiency, and said it expects sales growth to continue into the fourth quarter.

While the headlines on Mosaid Technologies are about the patent-infringement suit it launched against IBM, the case won't be resolved for years. Of more pressing concern is whether Mosaid can renew its patent-license agreement with Samsung Electronics.

Nokia's strategic relationship with Intel, announced last month, may be very forward-looking and not about to worry any incumbent wireless chipset suppliers, but it is nonetheless threatening to Europe's local hero, ARM Holdings.

Struggling German chip group Infineon Technologies is selling its wireline communications operation to an affiliate of US private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for 250 million euro (about US$350 million).

A handful of US senators are growing increasingly concerned with the exclusivity agreements that wireless carriers are signing with device makers.

Xandros has announced that its integrated software solutions for next-generation ARM and Intel-based wireless netbooks and MIDs are being showcased at the ongoing Computex 2009.

Socle Technology has announced its partnership with Catena and CoreSonic to develop a comprehensive design platform on Chartered's 65nm process with integrateable wireless subsystems.

Indian mobile operators added a record 15.64 million customers in March, helped by the expansion of networks to smaller towns and rural areas, data from the telecoms regulator showed.

Memory IP specialist Mosaid Technologies and NXP Semiconductors BV have extended their patent license deal. However, troubled and insolvent memory maker Qimonda has terminated the six-year patent licensing agreement between the two companies that came into effect July 1, 2006.

Nokia Siemens Networks, seeking a bigger foothold in the US market, has offered to buy large pieces of Nortel Networks, including much of its profitable carrier networks unit and a research unit developing a next-generation wireless technology, according to people familiar with the matter.

Logic-chip maker Xilinx said sales in its fourth quarter would decline less than forecast, helped by better-than-expected wireless-communications sales. The forecast comes a day after rival Altera presented a more optimistic -- though still muted -- view of first-quarter revenue than it had in January because of better-than-expected demand from manufacturers providing equipment for Chinese 3G wireless networks.

STMicroelectronics and Ericsson has announced the closing of their agreement merging Ericsson Mobile Platforms and ST-NXP Wireless into a 50/50 joint venture. The deal was completed on the terms originally announced on August 20, 2008. Ericsson contributed US$1.1 billion net to the joint venture, out of which US$0.7 billion was paid to ST.

Mosaid Technologies says it hasn't been affected by the pending insolvency filing of German customer Qimonda AG, but the assurance didn't prevent a drop in MSD stock.

A propagation and optimization solution provider wireless industry announced that it has acquired Wi-Sys Communications, an Ottawa, Canada based company that specializes in GPS antenna and receiver technology.

STMicroelectronics NV, Europe's largest semiconductor maker, plans to shut its plants in Italy over the Christmas period, affecting about 8,000 workers, as demand slides amid a deteriorating economy and an industry glut.

Smart dust is based on microelectromechanical systems, or MEMs. These tiny computer chips can measure temperatures, vibrations or surface pressures. Smart sensors relay signals back to a command computer, which then compiles the data to give feedback to plant managers. Or the results could trigger an automatic response, such as turning down a building's temperature or reducing the flow of oil.

Qualcomm has has stopped development of its next-generation, high-speed wireless technology Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) which was originally intended as an alternative to LTE and WiMAX 4G telecomunications standards.

Google, Motorola and Microsoft are among the companies that want the unused spectrum for a new generation of wireless devices. Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House of Representatives House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a list of questions to Martin, including whether an FCC engineering report was peer reviewed, and how the agency would deal with interference from broadcast signals if it occurs. "Why did the Commission decline to adopt a licensed approach to some of all of this spectrum?" Dingell asked.