NEW YORK—Aerwav, a company recently established to invest in and develop wireless communications businesses, announced Jan. 8 it has completed its acquisition of Securicor Wireless Inc. from Securicor plc of the United Kingdom.
Although Aerwav did not disclose the terms of the transaction, Securicor plc reported in late September it had sold its U.S. wireless communications business for “a nominal consideration” and subsequently wrote off $60.56 million in goodwill for the sale. The parent company announced its intention to sell the American subsidiary in late May after Securicor Wireless posted a loss of $10.4 million on sales of $8 million for the first six months of the 2001 fiscal year.
The Federal Communications Commission has approved the sale of Securicor Wireless, which is the largest holder of spectrum in the 220-222 MHz band, Aerwav said.
Robert J. Shiver, chairman and chief executive officer of Aerwav, held the same positions at its predecessor companies, Securicor Wireless Inc. and Intek Global Corp.
“Spectrum is the most valuable resource of the New Economy. Our strategy is to develop our spectrum using a wireless real estate model. Our goal is to help companies meet their wireless communication needs with low-cost, efficient spectrum access,” Shiver said.
Aerwav said it plans to reposition Securicor Wireless’ historical business model, which had focused on assembly of a nationwide enhanced specialized mobile radio network. The company now plans to emphasize leasing spectrum to strategic partners and providing voice and data services targeted to specific sectors and functions, including telemetry, security alarm monitoring, automatic meter reading and credit card transaction processing.
