Montreal-based wireless network equipment maker SR Telecom Inc. acquired San Jose-based Netro Corp. in April. SR spent $121 million on the deal that would see Netro’s Angel – a carrier-class OFDM broadband system – added to SR’s product stable. The transaction will be structured as a merger, in which a wholly owned SR subsidiary will merge with Netro and its estimated 135 employees. Netro stockholders will own approximately 43 per cent of SR’s common shares. SR said there is room available for Netro management on the board of directors, adding that the acquisition fits into the company’s overall growth strategy.
CA pares down
Computer Associates International Inc. slashed 450 jobs this month as it heralded the formation of its new Technology Services organization. While over half of the 450 job cuts will be in North America, CA remained tight-lipped about specifically where the layoffs would take place. In Canada, CA has offices in Mississauga, Ont., Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Quebec City. Affected employees will receive severance packages including the continuation of benefits and outplacement services. Meanwhile, the new division will combine CA’s pre-sales and technical professional services organization. The pre-sales team aided prospective customers in evaluating CA’s technology while the professional services branch helped customers with implementations.
HP goes with ‘g’
Hewlett-Packard Co. in April introduced two new Compaq Presario notebooks that feature mini-PCI cards that offer 802.11g connectivity (54Mbps). HP based the architecture on chipsets from Broadcom Corp. One industry analyst said HP’s decision indicates that some PC vendors dismiss Intel Corp.’s integrated Wi-Fi chip Centrino as “not cutting-edge technology.” Centrino offers slower 802.11b connectivity (11Mbps). Intel has said it will consider adding the 802.11g standard to Centrino later this year after the protocol is ratified by the IEEE. Analysts and the Wi-Fi Alliance have expressed interoperability concerns about pre-standard 802.11g products, such as Broadcom’s chipset.