From ComputerWorld: Sony has reached an agreement to acquire chip company Altair Semiconductor for $212 million in a bid to strengthen its offering for the Internet of Things market.
Altair, based in Israel, is a developer of modem chip technology and software relating to the LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G cellular standard for mobile phones and data terminals. Sony aims to combine Altair's work with its sensing technologies such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and image sensors to develop new cellular-connected, sensing devices.
Sony expects LTE, which is already used in data communication for mobile phones, to play a key role in IoT as more small devices or "things" are expected to be equipped with cellular chipsets and access network services that take advantage of cloud computing.
LTE is increasingly seen as a cellular technology that could be relevant for IoT, and carriers are preparing to offer it. Verizon announced last year the U.S. availability of chipsets for IoT devices that can connect to its LTE network at speeds up to 10Mbps.
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