Wireless purchase

News

PCTEL has bought Sigma Wireless Technologies, one of Ireland's leading telecommunications and mobile companies, for 22 million Euros.

PCTEL

has bought

Sigma Wireless Technologies Limited

(SWT) from the Sigma Communications Group, one of

Ireland

's leading telecommunications and mobile companies, for 22 million Euros.

SWT is based in Dublin and develops and distributes innovative antennas for public safety and for the rapidly growing UMTS cellular networks. The newly acquired operation, which comprises over 100 employees, will become part of PCTEL's Antenna Products Group (APG).

The acquisition establishes a European presence for PCTEL, whose antenna sales to date have been principally in North and South America and China. In addition, the acquisition positions PCTEL in the rapidly growing UMTS infrastructure market with antenna technology and associated control systems.

New cellular technology requires frequent optimization and the ability to manage clusters of antennas. SWT's iVET (integrated Variable Electrical Tilt) antenna technology permits cellular networks to remotely adjust and optimize coverage areas and antenna clusters in response to key network performance parameters, such as signal to noise ratios. Adjustable Remote Tilt or Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) antennas permit operators to adjust - using laptop computers or handheld devices - an antenna's tilt angle.

The ability to remotely control UMTS antennas with SWT's Blustream antenna management system eliminates serial re-design, the costly process of gaining access to an antenna site, and shutting down transmitter sites to make the adjustments. Operators anticipate that iVET deployment will result in both improved Quality of Service (QoS) and lower costs. The products are already being deployed within some of Europe's largest cellular networks.

In addition to its iVET product line, SWT provides Private Mobile Radio (PMR) and Digital Private Mobile Radio (DPMR) antennas. PMR and DPMR are used in a variety of public utility and public safety applications. DPMR is based on the European TETRA technology (similar to iDEN, the basis for NEXTEL services). TETRA has been adopted as the DPMR solution in over 70 countries.