Broadcom To Acquire Gigle NetworksBroadcom To Acquire Gigle Networks

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Broadcom announced Monday that it has signed an agreement to acquire privately held Gigle Networks, in a move that will boost Broadcom’s solutions for home networking over power lines technology. Broadcom said it is paying $75 million in cash for Gigle.

Gigle, which develops system on-a-chip (SoC) solutions, will see its development efforts integrated into Broadcom’s portfolio of home wired and wireless solutions, particularly in set-top box, broadband carrier access and wireless router areas, Broadcom said.

Broadcom indicated the acquisition will help its development and integration of home networking applications. The network Broadcom is focusing on in powerline, coax and wireless networking is expanding at a 32% compound annual growth rate to 2015, according to ABI Research.

In a statement, Dan Marotta, executive vice president and general manager of Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group, said: "With the addition of Gigle Networks' powerline technology, and our proven ability and extensive experience in supporting the multiple methods to connect devices including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance), and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), Broadcom is able to offer service providers and device manufacturers a variety of ways to deploy a whole-home connected environment."

Gigle’s powerline technology is certified by the HomePlug AV and the IEEE 1901 solutions unit, and those two organizations complement other networking technologies in the connected world. Citing an example of how the Gigle acquisition can enhance home networks, Broadcom noted that MoCA and Wi-Fi enhance advanced applications like high-definition video streaming that can enable a whole-home connected environment. Powerline, which uses existing electrical wiring in home and office infrastructures, is being viewed as an efficient and simple way to connect multiple devices throughout the home and office.

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