STMicroelectronics and NXP Complete Deal to Create New Wireless Semiconductor Company

(Top News, 29 Jul 2008)

NXP and STMicroelectronics have closed their deal to combine their wireless operations into ST-NXP Wireless. The joint venture, which will start operations on August 2nd, launches as a solid top-three industry player with a complete wireless product and technology portfolio and as a leading supplier to major handset manufacturers who together ship more than 80 percent of all handsets. ST-NXP Wireless is said to be among the few companies with the R&D scale and expertise to meet customer needs in 2G, 2.5G, 3G, multimedia, connectivity and all future wireless technologies.

ST-NXP Wireless is being created from successful businesses that together generated $3 billion in revenue in 2007. At the closing, STMicroelectronics took an 80 percent stake in the joint venture and contributed $1.55 billion to NXP, including a control premium. The new organization will start with a cash balance of about $350 million, in a very healthy financial position and able to grow its business with all of its wireless customers.

"The wireless industry is undergoing a major change. Semiconductor companies are coming to play an ever more important role, contributing an ever larger share of the product value chain to handset makers, who expect us to deliver leading-edge solutions across the full spectrum of mobile applications," says Alain Dutheil, CEO of ST-NXP Wireless. "ST-NXP Wireless is being created to address this new paradigm; we'll be equipped with a world-class product and technology portfolio and top-league R&D capabilities to compete for leadership in the wireless and mobile-multimedia market."

Owning thousands of important communication and multimedia patents, ST-NXP Wireless will be well positioned with all of the vital technologies for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System); for the emerging TD-SCDMA standard; as well as other cellular, multimedia and connectivity capabilities - including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, USB, and UWB (Ultra-wideband), and full access to a license from NXP to NFC (Near Field Communication)—to effectively serve its global customers with complete wireless and mobile solutions across the spectrum of applications.

The ST-NXP Wireless executive team will be composed of experienced industry leaders from both parent companies. Dutheil, presently COO of STMicroelectronics, has been assigned to lead ST-NXP Wireless as CEO, focusing exclusively on the new joint-venture. The Executive Committee of ST-NXP Wireless, led by Dutheil, also includes Abhijit Bhattacharya, currently financial controller for NXP's Multimarket Semiconductors Business Unit, who has been nominated to take the position of CFO and, nominated as Executive Vice Presidents and General Managers, Tommi Uhari, currently Executive Vice President and general manager of ST's Mobile, Multimedia & Communications Group, and Marc Cetto, currently Executive Vice President and General Manager of NXP's Mobile & Personal Business Unit.

ST-NXP Wireless will combine key design, sales and marketing, and back-end manufacturing assets from both parent companies into a streamlined organisation. The company is designed with low capital intensity, securing leading-edge wafer manufacturing capacity from both parent companies and foundries, while operating its own assembly and test facilities.

To be incorporated in Switzerland and headquartered in Geneva, ST-NXP Wireless will have in excess of 7,500 employees with major facilities in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the USA.

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