RF chipsets supplier Chipcon AS, Figure 8 Wireless, a provider of ZigBee-ready software and firmware and a subsidiary of Chipcon Group, and Akita Electronics Systems, a maker of sub-system solutions including RF and analog technology and a member of the Hitachi Group, announced a licensing agreement between the companies for Figure 8 Wireless’ Z-Stack embedded ZigBee networking software.

Akita will bring to market this fall new OEM modules targeting building and industrial automation, telemetry and sensor network applications. The modules will give OEM manufacturers new microprocessor options for use with Chipcon’s CC2420 RF chipset and Texas Instruments’ MSP 430, ultra-low power microcontroller.

“This agreement opens the field for OEMs worldwide to new and better microcontroller options for use with our CC2420 radios,” commented Birgit Opland, vice president of marketing for Chipcon AS.

“With Akita Electronics Systems licensing our ZigBee certified Z-Stack for the CC2420, OEMs developing on the Akita modules can be certain they are developing their products on a platform that has been in the hands of OEMs worldwide for over two years in pre-certified form," stated Graham Martin, president of Figure 8 Wireless.

Kazuharu Hirachi, director of design & development division of Akita, added, “We perceive the ZigBee market to be an enormous opportunity to drive growth for Akita and our customers. By choosing to license the Figure 8 Wireless Z-Stack in combination with the Chipcon CC2420 RF transceiver, we have definitely identified a best-of-breed solution that we intend to offer.”