Cambridge, UK-based CSR plc has entered into an agreement with UbiNetics Holdings Limited to acquire UbiNetics' software business for a cash consideration of $48 million. UbiNetics is also based in Cambridge, UK, and specializes in communications protocol software for mobile phone applications. The acquisition will be financed entirely from CSR's existing cash resources, according to CSR. It will provide CSR with a strong R&D team to accelerate its existing software developments in Bluetooth, WiFi and ultra-wideband (UWB). UbiNetics' team will also give CSR the capacity to extend its software offering to mobile handset customers. UbiNetics has 170 engineers located in Bangalore, India, and Shenzhen, China, in addition to its Cambridge headquarters.

UbiNetics' R&D team will also help CSR to develop UMA (Unlicenced Mobile Access) voice and data software for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) handsets. UMA makes FMC a reality since it enables mobile networks to seamlessly extend across WiFi or Bluetooth. CSR expects UMA to extend the potential market for its UniFi, BlueCore and in future, UWB integrated circuits.

James Collier, technical director and co-founder of CSR commented, "CSR continues to grow its software development activities. In the mobile phone market we see both call hand-off between cellular and local area networks and high-speed data handling as key drivers for the widespread deployment of PAN and LAN. Together with UbiNetics, we will have all the experience, skills, track record and staff required to design the software for UMA and FMA phones. Looking ahead, we plan to extend the range of our products in order to simplify the complex integration task of the mixed hardware/software and multistandard system that a cellular phone has become.”