Qualcomm Buys Xiam Technologies To Boost Consumer Links

Qualcomm moved to beef up its direct links to consumers by acquiring Xiam Technologies, an Ireland-based company that provides personalization technology that brings individualized content and ads to consumers.

Announced Tuesday, the acquisition will include Xiam's My Personal Offers System (MPOS), which enables mobile operators and brands to tailor offerings to include the unique tastes and preferences of consumers. MPOS has the capability of reaching consumers directly over Web and wireless channels.

Qualcomm said it will offer MPOS as a standalone service through Xiam and also as a part of Qualcomm's core offerings. The acquisition is the second major one by Qualcomm in recent months following its November acquisition of mobile banking provider Firethorn. Qualcomm's traditional strengths have been in intellectual property and networking infrastructure, and the Xiam and Firethorn acquisitions are part of the firm's effort to move closer to consumers.

"Qualcomm's suite of solutions and products are designed to help operators and brands deliver a wide range of content quickly and efficiently," said Colm Healy, Xiam CEO, in a statement. "The addition of MPOS will only make that process more intuitive as consumers receive highly personalized offers attuned to their unique interests."

The Xiam and Firethorn operations complement the Qualcomm Internet Services unit. With its Brew, Brew Gaming, and BrandXtend services, the unit aims to accelerate adoption of mobile data by consumers. Founded in 2004, Xiam utilizes profiling techniques to enable mobile operators to make suggestions to individual consumers that are tailored to their unique tastes.

Qualcomm said it will pay about $32 million for Xiam and the acquisition will be neutral to its earnings.