Mindspeed is a leading supplier of processor for small cells in 3G/HSPA, TD-SCDMA and LTE. Its base station semiconductor solutions serve residential to enterprise to pico/metro applications. The wireless infrastructure division has sites in Bath, UK; Newport Beach, Calif.; and Shenzhen and Beijing, China.
Mindspeed’s current network processors leverage ARM Cortex RISC processor technology.
On her blog, Rose Schooler, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Communications and Storage Infrastructure Group, said the acquisition brings a wireless infrastructure team with deep experience in delivering signal processing-related technologies and IP for base stations. She notes that this accelerate the strategy to consolidate networking workloads onto Intel architecture, particulary signal processing for base stations. Intel has been working with China Mobile and SKT on designing Cloud Radio Access Network technologies.
- Mindspeed’s latest Transcede 4000/4020 processor uses a scaleable architecture to address the emerging needs of the Next-Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) and enables follow-on devices within the family that address different performance points such as enterprise femtocells. It delivers Layer 1 and Layer 2 functionality with the performance needed to support base stations ranging in size from macrocells to picocells and the flexibility to support HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, LTE-FDD, LTE-TDD, WiMAX and IMT-Advanced standards in a single System-on-Chip (SoC). Coupling the latest RISC processor technology with a high performance DSP processing array in a single chip, the Transcede 4000/4020 provides low-cost/high-value processing capability from IP packets to IQ samples.
- In November 2013, M/A-COM Technology Solutions, a supplier of high performance RF, microwave, and millimeter wave products, agreed to acquire Mindspeed Technologies for $5.05 per share in a cash, a 66% premium over the company’s previous close of $3.04 on November 4, 2013. This represents an enterprise value of $270 million. Mindspeed, which is based in Newport Beach, California, supplies semiconductors for communications infrastructure, including broadband access networks (fixed and mobile), enterprise networks and metropolitan and wide area networks (fixed and mobile). Its main product lines include its Transcede family of low-power, multi-core system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for 3G and 4G/LTE small cell base stations, and its Comcerto family of processors for triple-play access gateways. M/A-COM, which is based in Lowell, Massachusetts, supplies high performance RF, microwave, and millimeter wave products that enable next-generation internet and modern battlefield applications.
- In 2012, Mindspeed acquired U.K.-based Picochip Limited, a leading supplier of integrated system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for small cell base stations, for a purchase price of approximately $51.8 million, plus a potential earnout payment of up to $25 million payable in the first calendar quarter of 2013. Picochip specializes in femtocell SoCs. Its publicly announced customers include Alpha Networks, AT4 Wireless, Airspan (partnered with Fujitsu), Intel, ip.Access, Ubiquisys (supplying NEC and Motorola), Willtek, Xinwei Telecom, Zyxel and a number of other major OEMs and ODMs.