Qualcomm cleared to buy Flarion

The U.S. Justice Department has ended its query into Qualcomm's acquisition of Flarion Technologies over possible anti-trust violations, clearing the last deal's final hurdle. Qualcomm now expects to close the $600 million deal this week.

Qualcomm first announced the deal last August, making it the largest private acquisition in the company's history. Flarion is the key innovator in one of the hottest technologies in wireless, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which is used as the basis for mobile WiMAX and Qualcomm's new forward link only (FLO) technology. Flarion has been trying to commercialize the technology in its own proprietary Flash-OFDM systems, but so far hasn't gotten past the initial trial stage with many carriers.

By buying Flarion, Qualcomm will greatly increase its already impressive sheaf of core wireless technology patents. Qualcomm owns the key intellectual property used in the development of all CDMA and Wideband CDMA systems. With OFDM expected to make its way not only into WiMAX and mobile TV technologies, but also future wireless LAN and cellular standards, Qualcomm will receive royalties from across the wireless industry.