Wipro Ltd will acquire the Singapore-based radio frequency (RF) and baseband wireless design firm Oki Techno Centre (Singapore) Pte Ltd (OTCS) for an undisclosed sum including its own intellectual property rights in an all cash deal. The acquisition will be completed over a period of one year.

Wipro will also establish a dedicated development centre for OKI, which Wipro says has key customers in Japan in product engineering space. The acquisition will help strengthen Wipro''s customer base in the semiconductor market.

OTCS is a 40-member centre with SGD 8.8 M as the revenues of the fiscal year ended 31 March 2007.

The development centre set up by Wipro will enable OKI to utilise design resource efficiently and enhance product development capabilities. This will enable OKI to expand its semiconductor business and increase its competitive edge in designing semiconductor products in the global market.

"OKI has been enhancing its design and development skills to respond to more complex and sophisticated LSIs. We have been looking for a global partner to improve our efficiency in semiconductor design through outsourcing, as we focus on improving our core designing capabilities," said Masahiko Morioka, president of Silicon Solutions Company at Oki Electric industry. "The capability at Wipro will enable OKI to provide high-quality technologies and products to its customers in a timely manner."

Wipro is a leading solutions provider in the semiconductor design services space and has been strengthening its presence by complementing its digital expertise with analog arid RF skills. Wipro''s NewLogic acquisition in 2005 strengthened its position in the area of wireless designs in CMOS RF and IPs. The acquisition of OTCS further strengthens our capabilities in RF and baseband design and gives deeper domain strengths in the area of DTV standards, WiMedia UWB, RFID and Wireless LAN 802.11 technology areas.

"The wireless communication IC marketplace today is demanding integrated SoC solutions requiring expertise in digital and RF domain. The acquisition of OTCS is a significant step in our plans to strengthen the leadership in design services in the RF and baseband technology space. The acquisition also provides a solid base for addressing the large market in Japan and East Asia," said Ramesh Emani, president, telecom and product engineering solutions division at Wipro Technologies.

The entire transaction is expected to be closed during the next one month. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals."