u-blox acquisition allows company to meet V2V system demand
Swiss based u-blox has acquired automotive-grade Bluetooth and WiFi module products and a team of key engineers from lesswire, a subsidiary of the PRETTL group. Lesswire, which was founded in 1999, is a privately owned company that provides robust vehicle-ready short range wireless communication modules to Tier-1 automotive electronics suppliers in Europe and Asia.
The purchase includes off-the-shelf products, equipment and a team of experts in the area of connected car and short range connectivity modules.
lesswire’s module operations in Berlin will become a u-blox product center for automotive-grade short range radio modules. For existing lesswire customers the current product offering will continue to be supported and further developed.
“The addition of the automotive modules from lesswire positions u-blox as a strategic supplier of wireless technology to the fast growing market for in-car and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication systems,“ said Herbert Blaser, Vice President of short range products, u-blox. “Besides actual high demand for in-car connectivity, next-gen smart cars will have advanced safety and collision avoidance systems that depend on robust, reliable communications. Building on u blox’s leadership in automotive positioning electronics, this acquisition adds a key enabling technology to our portfolio. We welcome our colleagues in Berlin to build on the synergies between our companies.”
“The sale of our automotive short range modules to u-blox is advantageous for both companies," commented Dr. Ralph Meyfarth, CEO, lesswire, “lesswire will continue to focus on system-level products for car connectivity and industrial wireless solutions, and we will depend on u-blox as module-experts to deliver us the key wireless components we need to continue growing in this market.”