Contracts
Herley Industries, Inc.—Has announced that its Herley-CTI
subsidiary located in Whippany, NJ has received an award
for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract
valued at approximately $8.5 million from a major US
prime contractor. The firm will manufacture fast-switching
synthesizers for a radar system application. This six-year
agreement is a follow-on to previous development and production
contracts for this product. Separately, Herley-CTI
signed development and initial production agreements for
a similar fast-switching synthesizer. It will be used by the
same customer, but in another radar application.
Raytheon Co.—Has received an $81.1-million US Navy contract
for the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar
(ALFS), the primary undersea warfare sensor for the Navy’s
MH-60R multi-mission helicopter. System capabilities were
tested and proved as part of a US Navy undersea warfare
exercise conducted by the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike
Group in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Rockwell Collins—The US Navy has awarded a four-year
production contract to Rockwell Collins for the ARC-210
radios. The contract has a potential value of $450 million
over the four-year life of the program. With more than
28,000 radios fielded, the ARC-210 is installed on more than
180 platforms worldwide and is operating in more than 40
countries. Included in the contract is the next-generation
ARC-210 radio, which will enter production in 2010.
Fresh Starts
AMIMON, Inc.—Has teamed with Maxim Integrated Products
to provide Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) solutions.
The companies will offer a joint reference design based on
Maxim’s WHDI RF chipset, the MAX2850/MAX2851, which
interfaces directly to the AMIMON WHDI baseband chipset,
the AMN 2120/2220.
Virage Logic—Has completed the acquisition of NXP’s horizontal
advanced CMOS intellectual-property (IP) rights
and certain engineering talent and equipment. As part of
the acquisition, Virage Logic now includes approximately
150 former NXP employees and the assets associated with
select NXP advanced CMOS libraries, IP blocks, and systemon-
a-chip (SoC) infrastructure along with other classes of
semiconductor IP—including approximately 25 associated
patent families. The strategic alliance between the two companies
also includes a multi-year, $60-million licensing and
IP-development relationship.
T-Mobile—Has become a Sponsor Member of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
T-Mobile is one of more than 330 member companies
that comprise the Wi-Fi Alliance.
RF Micro Devices, Inc.—Has repurchased and retired $197-million
aggregate principal of its convertible subordinated notes
due 2010. Using cash on hand, RFMD paid the principal or
face amount of the notes along with accrued interest to acquire
and retire the notes prior to maturity. The aggregate principal
amount of the 2010 notes outstanding is approximately $10
million—down from $230 million at issue. By using cash on
hand to repurchase and retire the $197 million of notes, RFMD
expects to save approximately $1.9 million in interest expense
between now and when the notes mature in July 2010.
Yota Company—Has begun deploying its network in Nicaragua.
The broadband Internet access penetration in Nicaragua
is less than 1 percent. The new entity, Yota de Nicaragua, is
co-owned by WiMAX Holding (75 percent) and a local Nicaraguan
company (25 percent). It will both build the network
and manage wireless services. During the startup period, the
management team from the Russia-based Yota has filled key
posts in Yota de Nicaragua.
INSIDE Contactless—Has opened a representative office in
Bangkok, Thailand to coordinate engineering support for its
production subcontractors throughout Asia—including a new
secured semiconductor probing facility in Bangkok operated
by United Test and Assembly Center Ltd. (UTAC). The new
Bangkok operations will play an important role as INSIDE
prepares to increase its production capacity to handle an
anticipated demand of up to 500 million MicroPass contactless
payment microprocessors annually.
DragonWave, Inc.—Has received Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)
9 and 14 certification for its Horizon Compact packetmicrowave-
radio solution.
Iridium Communications, Inc.—Has signed three additional
distribution partners in Mexico. These new partners supplement
the distribution channel for the new “Iridium Mexico”
subsidiary (or Iridium Comunicaciones de Mexico S.A.P.I. de
C.V.). Iridium Mexico is a joint venture between Iridium and
Spacenet Communications Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V.
WiSpry, Inc.—Has joined the Mobile Industry Processor Interface
(MIPI) Alliance as a Contributor Member. WiSpry will now
have access to industry-standard interface specifications for
the mobile industry. It also will be able to contribute to these
standards going forward.
Channel Microwave—Has been acquired by Smiths Group
plc. It will operate as an independent division of Lorch
Microwave, Inc.
Duplex CSA Ltd.—Has appointed Connector Specialists, Inc. as
the company’s authorized sales representative for the southwestern
US region including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mexico.
The Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium (MCPC) of Japan—
Has executed a memorandum of understanding with the
Communications Society of IEEE (ComSoc) to promote their
respective training and certification programs in mobile and
wireless technology. Both programs are designed to train
engineers in mobile and wireless technology to help supply
needed expertise for the mobile-broadband industry. The MoU
will support the MCPC’s goal to promote awareness of the
MCPC’s Mobile System Engineering Certification Program
to IEEE ComSoc constituents and those interested in the IEEE
Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies (WCET)
certification program.