RoW Short Takes

UBS and Craig take stakes in Look CommunicationsUnique Broadband Systems Inc. (UBS) and Craig Wireless International have purchased significant ownership stakes in Look Communications Inc. UBS bought a 20% stake in Look for approximately $2.4 million, while Craig purchased about 30% of Look for nearly $2.9 million. UBS and Look had previously tried to complete a deal last year (RoW, Aug. 19/02). Under that deal, UBS was to have invested $5 million in Look for a 9% stake. UBS could have increased its stake to 23% if it converted a debenture. However, that deal was pulled off the table last year. The UBS transaction was completed through a private placement. Craig is seeking to acquire a further ownership stake in Look, but that needs CRTC approval. SR Telecom adds former COM DEV product lineMontreal-based SR Telecom Inc. has acquired the former M/ERGY product line, originally developed by COM DEV International Ltd., from its current owner Axio Wireless Inc. Axio purchased the M/ERGY product line from COM DEV last summer (RoW, Aug. 19/02). Under terms of the agreement, SR Telecom paid US$635,000 for the assets including intellectual property associated with the former M/ERGY product line. Additionally, SR Telecom has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Axio Wireless covering software licensing and support services. The owner of Axio Wireless was the former head of COM DEV’s broadband unit, from which Axio Wireless purchased the M/ERGY product line. In other SR Telecom news, the company has announced that Northwestel plans to deploy its equipment in remote regions of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The deployment is part of Northwestel’s service improvement plan. Under terms of the agreement, SR Telecom will supply its SR500 system and WL500 wireless loop subsystem to provide voice and data capabilities in areas where telecommunications infrastructure is underdeveloped. Telesat Canada moves aheadTelesat Canada is moving forward with plans to replace its failing Anik F1 satellite (RoW, Nov. 25/02). The company has already filed its insurance claim and is now moving to make sure a second satellite will be ready in time so that there will be no interruption in service. Ontario gov’t invests in rural broadband networkThe Ontario provincial government has invested approximately $2.8 million to support the development and deployment of a broadband network in small towns and rural communities. The goal of the project is to establish a broadband network across the entire Leeds-Grenville area using a combination of fibre optic and wireless technologies. The Thousand Islands Community Development Corp. and Ripnet Ltd. will provide the balance of the funding for the total project totaling nearly $7.2 million. Ericsson renews agreement with Rogers WirelessEricsson Canada and Rogers Wireless Inc. have renewed their wireless infrastructure supply agreement for another three years. The deal calls for Ericsson to supply Rogers with equipment that allows it to turn on a digital network operating in the 850 MHz frequency range. Rogers will also purchase EDGE equipment. Atsana unveils video module for cell phonesOttawa-based Atsana Semiconductor Corp. has introduced a microchip reference that will enable device manufacturers to develop video camera applications for cell phones and PDAs. The design reference kit allows for the development of MPEG4 and H.263 video modules that can be attached to existing handsets. Video devices development from this reference design kit will offer 1.3 Megapixels. The design module is expected to garner significant interest from the device community since it allows users to send rich graphical images and video clips without severely affecting device battery life. SpaceBridge inks agreement with STMicroelectronicsGatineau QC-based SpaceBridge Semiconductor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with STMicroelectronics that could potentially lead to the development of wirelessly enabled set-top boxes. The two companies will work together to develop a chip set that will be integrated into next-generation set-top boxes that will act as in-home gateways offering a broad variety of services. These integrated receivers will act as a home gateway offering broadband Internet access, HDTV and interactive TV applications. SiGe lands significant funding round from U.S. investorsSiGe Semiconductor has scored a major injection of funding from a large U.S. based technology venture capital fund. In this round of Series B funding, the company landed US$42.8 million, which will be used to fund ongoing product developments and operations. The financing is expected to last the company through to the cash-flow positive stage. Leading this round was Boston-based TD Capital Technology Ventures, which was joined by 3i US and Prism Partners. Existing investors include VenGrowth Capital Partners Inc., CDP Capital, Business Development Bank of Canada, Capital Alliance Ventures and Canadian Science & Technology Growth Fund. ViXS releases wireless video processor, MatrixViXS Systems Inc. has announced the availability of Matrix, a new wireless communications processor. The processor has been optimized for the delivery of multiple video streams over the 802.11a wireless protocol. Matrix has been designed for gateway applications using two 802.11a channels to allow for the distribution of broadcast-quality video to multiple wireless devices. When combined with the company’s Xcode product, it allows media gateways and access points to stream multiple video signals to a broad variety of analog and digital devices. fSONA Communications introduces new FSO productfSONA Communications introduced the 1250-M free space optics product at the Wireless Communications Association technical symposium in San Jose last week. The 1250-M provides wireless connectivity at fast Ethernet or gigabit speeds over distances of four kilometres. CSI Wireless becomes exclusive telematics supplierCalgary-based CSI Wireless Inc. has become the exclusive telematics hardware supplier for Directed Electronics Inc., an after-market vehicle security and remote-start manufacturer. CSI will provide a unique hardware system and telematics product that will serve as the enabling technology for Directed’s new Directrack stolen vehicle tracking system.

RoW Short Takes

News | January 20, 2003

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