Semiconductor

AT&T and Centennial Communications Announce Justice Department Clearance for Acquisition of Centennial by AT&TFrom: WebWireAT&T and Centennial Communications Corp. announced that the Department of Justice has cleared AT&T?s proposed acquisition of Centennial. The Department has entered into a consent decree …

Black Sand Technologies, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company specializing in advanced power amplifier technology for wireless applications, announced that it has produced the world’s first 3G CMOS RF Power Amplifier (PA). Black Sand’s proprietary CMOS PA architecture offers a breakthrough …

The converging telecom and IT space is set to become a $5 trillion global business, fueled by relentless demand from individuals and businesses to be able to access information across any device at any time. The wireless/telecom/media/IT sector is growing …

The difficult economy has had an effect on the Ultra Wideband market, with 2008 marking the exit of four UWB chip makers from the market, according to a report from research firm In-Stat.The company noted Focus Semiconductor declared bankruptcy, WiQuest …

An inventory buildup, slowing demand and lack of visibility into how to weigh those two factors is hanging over the wireless chip industry as companies search for a way ahead. As most handset vendors posted volume shipment decreases for the …

Mobile handsets bolstered sales and profits at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. in the fourth quarter, as the Korean handset vendor cemented its No. 2 global position.The company shipped 53 million handsets in the quarter and garnered 18% global market share, …

No one can miss the dark clouds streaming overhead, but analysts say that without the expected growth in smartphone sales, those clouds might blot out the sun altogether. Handset sales, of course, drive chip sales, and most analysts have been …

As goes the handset market, so goes the chip market – with a few notable variations on the theme.The slackening demand for handsets has caused an inventory buildup among chip suppliers’ channels, will dampen those suppliers’ revenue in the new …

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has joined the Open Handset Alliance in support of Google Inc.’s Android platform, the handset vendor said today.ARM, the British semiconductor designer, also announced its membership in the OHA today. Sony Ericsson will produce a handset …

Nokia Corp. executives told analysts and press today that holiday-quarter handset sales will likely fall short of the company’s last estimate, given less than three weeks ago. Even with its much-vaunted visibility into the global market, however, Nokia declined to …

Revenue earned by the global semiconductor industry will contract by 2% this year compared to last year, according to iSuppli Corp., a sharp change from a similar forecast made just two months ago. For 2008, total chip revenue is projected …

Qualcomm Inc. has released a software development kit for its BREW Mobile Platform, enabling developers to “bridge the gap” between writing for mobile applications and the Web, the company said today. The SDK includes enhanced support for native applications and …

TO OBSERVERS, MOTOROLA INC.’S GLASS is either half-full or half-empty. “Ringing Start for Motorola Chief,” declared Barron’s last week after the ailing American vendor reported steep losses.Barron’s had chosen to hail the straight talk and frank acknowledgements by the company’s …

The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the third quarter. This list comprises the amounts that were invested into wireless companies, as well as the companies that led the investment. RCR Wireless News …

Motorola Inc. lost $397 million on $7.5 billion in revenue across all its businesses in the third quarter and said today it would delay its plan to spinoff its handset division until sometime after 2009.And in a move to cut …

Texas Instruments Inc. said last week that it will sell or shutdown its merchant baseband chip business, and focus on application processors and multimedia for smartphones. The news appeared to be driven by a slowdown in orders, increasing competition in …

Everyone loves a good horse race. But with macro-economic conditions reverberating throughout the wireless industry – handset vendors’ aggregate volume growth in the third quarter appeared to be stagnating – the situation calls into question the health of the horses.No …

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. beat expectations on handset shipments in the third quarter, and gained market share partly through aggressive pricing. Handsets drove the Korean conglomerate’s revenue in the quarter as the company’s semiconductor business lagged. The results appeared to …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our coverage of 25 years in wireless. RCR Wireless News is celebrating with a package of stories detailing the advances of the past three decades. For full coverage please visit RCRWireless.com/25years. Crucial trends in the semiconductors …

DesignArt Networks, a fabless semiconductor company, announced its DAN2400 WiMAX System on a Chip platform. The company said a family of single-chip base and relay station reference designs is available. The platform allows vendors to build a complete radio access …

Ultra-mobile computing devices could outsell desktop and notebook computers in the long term, and semiconductor companies are taking note of that trend, according to a report from In-Stat.The firm noted Intel is preparing to challenge ARM, a company that has …

SAN FRANCISCO — A relatively new display technology that offers vast power savings, is viewable in direct sunlight and offers longer device use between charges has hit the market with a barely detectable splash.Those first ripples could become a tsunami, …

A study from ABI Research predicts the market for femtocell semiconductors could top $1.8 billion 2013, from $72 million this year, growing at an annual compound growth rate of more than 300%.The lucrative market is attracting more and more silicon …

The pressures of the mobile chip business, plus a fit in products and customers, has driven Ericsson Mobile Platforms and ST Microelectronics-NXP Wireless to join forces, the two companies said today.The joint venture, subject to regulatory approvals, combines ST-NXP’s 2G/EDGE …

Even as Motorola Inc. makes some key new hires, such as co-CEO Sanjay Jha, other executives continue to exit. Chief Information Officer Patty Morrison left the company last week. Morrison joined Motorola in 2005, during former CEO Edward Zander’s tenure, …