Global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless, Broadcom,  is to acquire Beceem Communications, a US-headquartered Indian talent-driven company that is a world leader in fourth generation (4G) wireless platform solutions. The deal worth about $ 316, will strengthen Broadcom’s ability to take on competitors in mult-platform broadband LTE ( long term evaluation) – the dominant future technology towards which all 4th generation voice and data communication options are headed.

While Broadcom provides wired and wireless communications semiconductors in mobile devices and broadband access systems that enable voice, video, and data consumption anywhere, Beceem provides leadership  in 4G and multimode modems. The combined company will be able to deliver 4G multimode solutions that solve consumers' demand for data on the go, in the home, or at work

Indian talents fuel Beceem

Beceem which was co founded in Santa Clara, in the US Silicon Valley by two Indian technologists: Surendra Babu Mandava, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, who holds multiple patents in testability and fault tolerant processor design; and Arogyaswamy Paulraj, a PhD from IIT Delhi who has been Professor and head of the smart antennas group at Stanford university for nearly two decades. Among the over 30 patents that Paulraj holds, are key technologies of WiMAX – like MIMO ( multiple in, multiple out). He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan earlier this year and is known to be helping to guide the Indian broadband policy at various levels.

Says Scott Bibaud, Broadcom's Executive Vice President & General Manager of the Mobile Platforms Group. "Beceem's talented teams of engineers in India and the U.S. have been focused on enabling a 4G ecosystem of operators and equipment manufacturers to drive the deployment of 4G networks. We look forward to adding their innovative technologies to our product portfolio and providing these technologies to our customers."

Adds Babu Mandava, "When combined with Broadcom's 2G and 3G cellular solutions and broader wired and wireless communications portfolio, our 4G products will enable operators to roll out next generation wireless broadband solutions while providing support for existing networks. Our combined offering will be one of the most extensive and formidable in the industry."

Beceem’s main innovation centre is Bangalore, and the company has been a quiet, but key player in creating single chip solutions for many portable WiMAX applications. The company supplies 65 percent of all  of WiMAX chip solutions for mobile broadband applications.  In recent years Beceem has cannily enlarged its porfolio to include the next, post-WiMAX broadband technologies like LTE – and this may be the principal strength it brings to Broadcom. It recently announced the industry's first 4G multimode platform that can support both LTE and WiMAX 4G
IndiaTechOnline understands that Dr Paulraj, who was Technology adviser at Beceem may  continue in that capacity at Broadcom.

Link to Beceem’s PDF on the logic of the acquisition: http://www.beceem.com/images/BRCM_Beceem_M&A_10.13.2010.pdf  
Link to Broadcom’s announcement: http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=s517947


October 15 2010