GPS Chip Launches

location based services

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Leveraging a heritage of GPS technology development spanning more than 20 years, GloNav Inc. launches to capture semiconductor opportunities in the rapidly growing wireless handset and mobile device global positioning system (GPS) markets. GloNav is a new fabless semiconductor company developing GPS chips. The company was formed on June 23, 2006, from the spin out of the GPS business from Ceva Inc. and acquisition of RFDomus Inc., with a $16.2 million capital round led by Atlantic Bridge Ventures.
“GloNav’s GPS technology enjoys the longest heritage of development in the semiconductor industry today. Our deep and broad intellectual property and technology portfolio spans more than two decades of research and development, and a cumulative investment of more than $60 million,” explained Bill McLean, CEO, GloNav. “While our plan is to sell semiconductors to our customers, our baseband technology is well proven already in the marketplace, as evidenced by products from our strategic licensee customers such as Samsung Electronics, u-blox AG, VIA Telecom and others.”

The powerful combination of the technology acquired from Ceva and RFDomus enables the industry’s lowest-power, highest-sensitivity and fastest time-to-first-fix (TTFF) GPS/assisted-GPS (A-GPS) receiver. The digital signal processing (DSP)-based receiver includes embedded and host-based satellite acquisition and navigation software developed specifically for assisted-GPS applications on cellular networks and optimized to provide high levels of accuracy in indoor and outdoor environments.
“GloNav’s baseband technology is expected to ship this year in more than 5 million wireless handset and mobile device applications,” said Kevin Strong, vice president, marketing, GloNav. “While continuing to ship our low-power GPS RFIC and GPS baseband, GloNav will be announcing additional GPS semiconductor solution products by year end.”