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The £198 million deal includes patents to chipmaker CSR’s wi-fi, bluetooth and GPRS technology.
CSR’s chips are already used in Samsung’s Galaxy S2 smartphone and its Galaxy Tab 7.0 tablet, along with Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
CSR’s CEO Joep van Beurden told PCR what this deal means for the company: “This transaction will accelerate our transformation into a higher gross margin platform company operating in attractive growth markets where we have a leading market position. As a result, we will be a more competitive, more differentiated and more profitable business.”
The move will allow Samsung to strengthen its line of mobile-device processors. It will also see the South Korean manufacturer take on CSR’s 310-person-strong technology and handset team.
Samsung has also agreed to invest $34.4 million in CSR with a 4.9 per cent share of the company.
“I believe that under Samsung’s ownership the handset operations will be in a better position to prosper in the global handset market," said Beurden.
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