LANTIQ, the German company formed from Infineon's sale of its Wireline Communications Division to Golden Gate Capital, continues its acquisitive ways with the most recent purchase of WLAN related assets and intellectual IP from Israel based Metalink, a provider of high performance wireless communication silicon solutions with the capability to deliver HD-video-streams over the 802.11n standard.  The purchase price is up to $16.9 million, including an $8.9 million initial payment and an up to $8 million additional payment based on future performance.
 
With the acquisition, LANTIQ will establish a technical competence center in Yakum, Israel, where a team of about 50 engineers will drive innovation. The acquired 802.11n MIMO-technology (Multiple Input Multiple Output) enables HD video streaming over WLAN networks.  LANTIQ will integrate the technology in its existing roadmap and future products. In addition to reference designs, first ICs produced in 65nanometer process technology are already sampling and will be available for mass production in spring 2010.

In November 2009 the company took over the Home Networking and DSL related assets and IP from Massachusetts-based Aware.  The deal included the establishment of a technical competence center in Bedford Mass., where a team of more than 40 engineers from Aware has joined LANTIQ. 

LANTIQ officially started operations on November 7, 2009 but was announced in July.  Golden Gate Capital spent about $350 million to Infineon for the wireline unit. The company employs about 900 people in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region. Headquartered in Neubiberg, Germany, LANTIQ specializes on broadband communications, encompassing analog, digital and mixed-signal ICs along with comprehensive software suites.

Christian Wolff

The company is headed by Christian Wolff who held the role of division president of the Wireline Communications unit within Infineon Technologies.  During his long careeer at Infineon and Simens, he held various GM positions in Infineon's Communications Group for more than 15 years. He in particular managed the transition of that group into today's broadband market. Prior to Siemens Semiconductor becoming Infineon, Wolff was the GM of the company's Communications ICs Business Unit.