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News

5 March 2007

 

SiGe grew more than 50% in 2006, driven by WLAN and GPS

SiGe Semiconductor Inc of Ottawa, Canada, which supplies RF front-end solutions for wireless systems, has reported full-year 2006 revenues of over $48m, up by more than 50% on 2005’s $31.8m (following growth of 59% from 2004’s $20m, and growth from just $3.6m in 2003). SiGe shipped over 64m components (up more than 30% on 2005), raising the total to 146.5m.

The firm continued to grow in the WLAN, GPS and GSM markets, and its WiMAX transceivers were integrated into several of the first standard-compliant products to hit the market. “SiGe Semiconductor increased its market share for WLAN PA front-end solutions,” says chief financial officer William Burke. “This success is due in large part to SiGe’s continued relationship with Broadcom, which has integrated SiGe’s PA front-ends into reference designs for 802.11b/g and draft 802.11n solutions.”

“SiGe is focused on developing and delivering RF power amplifiers and transceivers for GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and now WiMax applications,” says Burke. “We continue to drive industry firsts, such as the first Galileo-ready receiver and the thinnest Wi-Fi power amplifier. These and other innovations have fueled the selection of our devices for new customer designs in exciting consumer products such as the Nintendo Wii videogame console,” he adds. Other design wins include the Samsung SMT-W5100 and 6100 IP phones, and DeLorme PN-20 Earthmate navigation devices.

In partnership with CSR (formerly Nordnav Technologies), SiGe also brought to market the first RF-and-software navigation solution (combining best-in-class performance with dramatic cost reduction for consumer electronics, the firm claims), initially available for GPS-enabled multimedia mobile phones and personal navigation devices.

New industry-first solutions claimed by SiGe Semiconductor include:

• the first complete front-end module for 802.11n products, enhancing the range and throughput of Wi-Fi devices;
• the first power amplifier for enhanced Bluetooth applications, enabling longer transmission distances when implemented in Bluetooth-capable cellular handsets, PDAs, wireless handsets, laptop computers and cordless phones;
• an RF front-end solution 60% smaller than competitive products, it is claimed, reducing the size and cost of Wi-Fi systems;
• the thinnest Wi-Fi power amplifier, enhancing wireless transmission and battery life in mobile consumer electronics;
• the first Galileo-ready receiver IC, allowing future-proofing of location devices for next-generation navigation systems.

“Our focus for 2007 continues to be revenue and market share growth, further integration of our solutions, innovations that enable our customers’ applications, and continued development of our GPS and WiMAX portfolios,” concludes Burke.

Visit: http://www.sige.com