ELECTRONICS : GREEN LIGHT FOR ERICSSON-STMICROELECTRONICS JV.

The creation of a joint venture between EMP, the wireless platform' business of Ericsson of Sweden, and ST-NXP, the wireless semiconductors business of STMicroelectronics of the Netherlands, is unlikely to affect competition in the sector concerned, namely the marketing of wireless platforms for mobile phones and semiconductors for mobile telecommunications. The European Commission therefore decided, on 26 November, to authorise the transaction under the EU merger regulation.

The joint venture would integrate all of EMP's activities, which consist of designing wireless platforms for the cutting-edge 3G mobile handsets (high-speed packet access - HSPA - technology) with the activities of ST-NXP, which focus on less technologically-advanced 2G handsets and, to a limited extent, the mature 3G (WCDMA Release 99) handsets. ST-NXP is already the preferred supplier of core semiconductors sold with EMP's HSPA...