Motorola Enters LMDS Market, Acquires EDA Manufacturer

In a move to enter the emerging Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) market. Schaumburg, IL-based Motorola has signed a contract with wireless cable TV owner American Wireless. Under the agreement, Motorola will develop and install LMDS infrastructure for American Wireless' St. George, Utah network.

Motorola's will construct an antenna site, equipped with an 18-inch dish connected with fiber to a high capacity backbone or public-switched telephone network (PSTN). Information and voice will then be sent and received via radio waves to and from the customer's antenna site located on their building, where it is connected directly to their local network. Using this solution, customers can access the Internet, place local or long distance phone calls, videoconference, or transfer information at speeds up to 30 Mb/s.

American Wireless Inc will use Motorola's equipment to provide digital wireless television to the Washington County area of southern Utah. American Wireless is a subsidiary of First Florida Communications, Inc., a multi-dimensional, integrated broadcast and communications company that focuses on new opportunities created by and increasing demand and convergence of high-speed data technologies.

EDA Acquisition
On the heels of its entry into the LMDS market, Motorola also announced the acquisition of Duet Technologies (San Jose, CA), a developer of custom library solutions. Under the pact, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS; Austin, TX) Motorola will license technology and acquire certain Duet assets. In turn, Due will provide Motorola with a design services engineering team with electronic design automation (EDA) and VLSI experience in India.

Motorola's acquisition of Duet complements its current efforts in India. Currently, Motorola has a wireless design facility in Guargoan and an embedded control application enter at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani. Through the Duet acquisition, Motorola will now also have a facility in New Delhi.