Motorola Buys RadioFrame's iDEN Business

Motorola has acquired RadioFrame Networks' Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) business and said the acquisition will be integrated into its Home & Networks Mobility business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

RadioFrame's MC-Series equipment has been a workhorse for iDEN operators worldwide. The MC-Series base stations have been used to upgrade legacy iDEN sites and to expand existing iDEN networks.

In the U.S., RadioFrame's products have been used at Sprint Nextel whose Nextel operation is largely build on iDEN infrastructure. Motorola has been a longtime product pacesetter in iDEN infrastructure. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, which did not include any additional RadioFrame operations.

"RadioFrame's iDEN products will further enhance Motorola's portfolio for multi-channel base stations optimized to support non-contiguous spectrum allocations in the special mobile radio (SMR) business that are especially common outside North America," Motorola said in a release.

Noting that RadioFrame's base stations can manage non-contiguous spectrum channels, Motorola added that the technology involved can deliver a lower cost architecture along with the efficient use of power amplifiers and smaller physical footprints.

The acquisition, Motorola said, will enhance push-to-talk technology delivered over iDEN.

RadioFrame has had a long history also of developing products for the GSM and femtocell markets.

While RadioFrame has been a major supplier to Sprint Nextel's Nextel iDEN network, the firm supplies iDEN equipment to many international iDEN customers.