Nokia Sells Wireless Modem Business to Renesas

By Geoff Duncan July 6, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In an surprising strategy shift, Finland’s Nokia—still the largest maker of mobile handsets on the planet—has announced it is selling its wireless modem business to Japan’s Renesas Electronics in a deal worth about $200 million. Although technically a brand-new company formed from NEC Electronics Corp and Renesas Technology Corp, Renesas is a major player in the semiconductor and (especially) the micro-controller business, and is looking to Nokia’s wireless modems as a key addition to its dedicated chipset solutions. Renesas Technology has licensed Nokia models since 2009, and has been working with Nokia on developing HSPA+ and LTE modem technologies.

“Wireless modems are an integral part of today’s chipset solutions, and we believe that Renesas Electronics, as one of the key chipset vendors in the market, is in an ideal position to further develop this offering,” said Nokia executive VP Kai Oistamo, in a statement. “The alliance enables us to continue to focus on our own core businesses, connecting people to what matters to them with our mobile products and solutions.”

Folks who think modems are just peripherals for computers—and wireless models are USB devices you connect to a notebook—might wonder what the fuss is about. However, this deal has broad implications for every handset Nokia manufacturers, and includes Nokia’s wireless modem technologies for GSM, HSPA, and LTE standards. Renesas is also getting “certain patents” related to the transferred technology, along with approximately 1,100 Nokia research and development employees in Finland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and India. The deal should make Renesas one of the top chip suppliers for mobile solutions on e broad variety of platforms—like ereaders, phones, mobile gaming devices, netbooks, tablet computers—particularly those that want to tap into GSM and (eventually) LTE technologies.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Best gaming laptop deals: Alienware, Razer, Asus and more

An Alienware m16 gaming laptop in use on a desk, playing Baldur's Gate III.

Gaming can be a lot of fun, but if you're the sort of person who doesn't want to deal with a big gaming desktop, then going for a gaming laptop makes a lot of sense. Of course, you aren't going to get as much power under the hood as you would with a desktop, and it might cost a bit more, but you do get a lot of mobility and an included screen in the process. Either way, modern gaming laptops have become really great, and even the budget-oriented stuff can play some of the best PC games out there.

To that end, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite gaming laptop deals out there. On the other hand, if you don't want something that yells "gaming laptop," check out some of these other laptop deals that include more traditional-looking laptops with some gaming specs.
IdeaPad Gaming 3 gaming laptop -- $617, was $950

Computing

Best Antivirus Deals: Protect your PC or Mac from just $35

norton 360 deluxe with lifelock deal best buy december 2021 antivirus shutterstock stock image

If you just grabbed one of these desktop deals or laptop deals, then you may want to also consider arming yourself with one of the best antivirus programs on the market. That's especially true since the antiviruses that tend to come with these deals only last 30 days or so and don't even include the full suite of tools. So, if you want protection against everything from viruses to phishing scams, then be sure to check our favorite antivirus deals below.
NortonLifeLock 360 Deluxe -- $35, was $90

Norton products are a firm fixture amongst the best antivirus software for good reason. They're simple to use and typically cover all the devices you could need to protect. In the case of NortonLifeLock, you get so much more than just antivirus protection too. The software package covers up to five devices at once meaning it will happily work on your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS systems all at once without a problem. That means all your devices will be regularly monitored for any nefarious files or any other potential issues relating to malware or similar. Real-time protection means there's nothing you need to do other than keep an eye out for any alerts from the service. It's great peace of mind but Norton LifeLock 360 Deluxe goes further than that.

Computing

Best Samsung monitor deals: 4K monitors, ultrawide, and more

Press image of the Samsung ViewFinity S9 studio monitor.

Samsung is probably one of the most well-known electronics companies, making everything from some of the best phones on the market to washers and driers, so it has a huge pedigree in the tech field. That pedigree also extends to monitors, as it also makes some of the best monitors and best gaming monitors on the market as well, so if you're looking to buy a new one, grabbing a Samsung on is a pretty smart choice. Of course, there's a huge selection of monitors to pick from, which is why we've gone out and selected some of our favorite Samsung monitor deals and compiled them for you below.

Also, if you're not quite sure what monitor to buy, check out our computer monitor buying guide to get a better sense of what you need. And, if you don't find it among Samsung monitors, you can always check some other great monitor deals as well.
Samsung 22-inch T350 Full HD monitor -- $100, was $120