Qualcomm Beefs Up Its Wi-Fi And Bluetooth Offerings With AcquisitionsQualcomm Beefs Up Its Wi-Fi And Bluetooth Offerings With Acquisitions

Qualcomm reported that it is picking up new wireless technologies by acquiring Airgo Networks and a major piece of RF Micro Devices' Bluetooth assets.

Qualcomm, a supplier primarily of mobile phone technologies, said the acquisitions would complement its core wireless technology. Qualcomm has been providing advanced 3G products, and the new acquisitions will provide it with wireless products that can be used in conjunction with its CDMA product line.

Airgo provides a range of Wi-Fi resources and owns significant intellectual property assets in the technology. Of particular interest are its assets in enhanced Wi-Fi 802.11n. In another announcement Sunday, Qualcomm said it is making available an 802.11n chipset called the AGN400 that had been developed by Airgo. Financial terms of the deal to buy privately held Airgo were not disclosed.

"The technologies that Airgo will bring to Qualcomm, including the AGN400, will help us continue to deliver high-performance wireless broadband with all types of products supporting a wide range of applications," Sanjay Jha, president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, said in a statement.

Qualcomm also unveiled Bluetooth products that were developed by RF Micro Devices. In a separate announcement, RF Micro Devices said Qualcomm has agreed to pay $39 million to acquire the majority of its Bluetooth assets.

The acquisitions will enable Qualcomm to better compete with Intel's portfolio of Wi-Fi products. As service providers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint rollout Qualcomm's CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A, Qualcomm will carve out a dominant position in the high-speed wireless data market. But as yet it has no strong offerings in the wide area wireless field of WiMax, which is beginning to be deployed globally.