Blu Wireless Technology secures backing from ARM
Strategic corporate partnership will target 5G Mobile Edge Computing and other high performance networking infrastructure applications.
Bristol, UK,– Blu Wireless Technology Ltd, the leading supplier of semiconductor and system IP for millimetre wave (mmWave) and high bandwidth wireless communications markets, has received a significant investment from ARM and other strategic and private investors. This will allow the companies’ mutual customers to deploy high performance mmWave and software defined networks (SDN) demanded for the cost-effective deployment of the forthcoming 5G standard.
10Gbps-class mmWave modems based on the Blu Wireless HYDRA baseband technology are already entering the market and Blu Wireless is the leading WiGig® system IP provider in the semiconductor and systems sector. The funding announced today will allow further development of the Blu Wireless pioneering technology for Fixed Wireless Access, 5G and high performance networking infrastructure. It will also align the Blu Wireless mmWave System IP roadmap with the ARM®processor and system IP portfolio.
“We are extremely excited by ARM’s investment and our common vision around how next generation wireless networks will be built,” said Henry Nurser, CEO of Blu Wireless Technology. “Underpinned by the level of interest our customers are already experiencing, we anticipate a huge acceleration of deployments of low-cost mmWave networks over the next 10 years as operators look to roll-out pre-5G and 5G networks. With ARM’s support, we will continue to develop our sophisticated IP solutions to allow our mutual customers to quickly and cost-effectively meet these market needs.”
“The connected world will be made up of a huge diversity of devices and mmWave technology is perfect for those requiring greater bandwidth and faster throughput in environments such as smart cities,” said Noel Hurley, general manager, business segments group, ARM. “Our investment in Blu Wireless is strategic and includes the tools and resources to enable their technology to be tested on the latest ARM IP. This will help our partners to get to market faster with mmWave-compliant products and help accelerate the rollout of 5G networks.”
Anthony Clarke, LBA CEO comments,
“A syndicate of +20 LBA investors including our LBA EIS Roundtable Syndicate Fund 2013 and the Angel Co Fund, first supported BWT as part of a £2m investment round in July 2013. As part of the round, a highly experienced LBA lead investor joined the company’s board and has been instrumental in helping the company progress from a pre-revenue development stage to a commercial growth stage. This significant corporate investment is an important milestone in the company’s evolution and is indicative of the innovative nature of the underlying proprietary technology. As a result of this latest investment, LBA investors have seen a significant unrealised gain on their initial investment in under 3 years. To continue to support highly innovative companies such as BWT, LBA has recently launched its LBA EIS Scale Up Fund 1 product being an HRMC approved FCA regulated fund with a remit to invest in innovative companies that are raising capital to scale up their commercial operations. Thefundcloses for new subscriptions on 5thApril 2017.”
