San Diego-based company Qualcomm Atheros announced the acquisition of an Israeli startup on Friday for the sum of $150 million. Qualcomm Atheros, which manufactures computer chips and systems for the cellphone industry, acquired DesignArt Networks, located in Raanana. The Israeli company is considered a leader in the design of modems and small communication cells for cellular base stations and high-speed wireless backhaul infrastructure. DesignArt provides SoC (System on Chip) and software solutions for base station developers of small communication cells and RRHs (Remote Radio Heads) designed for installation in homes, offices and other structures. The cells enable mobile operators to expand their network data exchange capacities in a simple and cost-efficient manner. DesignArt and its products will both enhance and accelerate our initiatives to drive increased capacity and coverage in mobile networks, said Qualcomm President Craig Barratt. Operators can significantly improve user experience across residential, enterprise and outdoor networks given the greater network efficiencies derived by implementing small cells and heterogeneous networks. The acquisition of the Israeli company comes just two months after another Israeli startup, Face.com, was bought by Facebook for as much as $100 million. Face.com was founded in 2007 with its main objective the development of technology that detects faces in photographs. Facebook uses the technology in its photo-tagging feature.
