Mindspeed Boosts Intel Baseband Play

Zewde Yeraswork
EETimes (12/17/2013 08:00 AM EST)

NEW YORK — Intel has acquired Mindspeed's wireless division, which designs chips for cellular basestations including an emerging class of small-cell basestations.

On November 5, Mindspeed closed a deal to be acquired by wireless specialist Macom for $272 million just as it was entering negotiations to sell its wireless business to Intel. Mindspeed previously announced that if its wireless business was not acquired, it would be restructured and wound down. Intel declined to comment on the purchase price.

Rose Schooler, vice president and general manager of Intel's communications and storage group, said in an interview with EE Times that it had been a long journey for Intel to acquire Mindspeed.

Schooler said the deal would help Intel support baseband processing, including turbo N Code and Z Code functions. "It has been a decade-long journey [to support all comms workloads] and this acquisition is one of the final building blocks,” she said.

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