Renesas strikes deal to acquire cellular IoT specialist Sequans

Renesas has made an offer for Sequans, a maker of 5G/5G cellular IoT chips. #pressrelease

August 7, 2023

2 Min Read

TOKYO and PARIS – Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723, "Renesas"), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS, "Sequans"), a leader in 5G/4G cellular IoT chips and modules, today announced that the two companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "MoU"). Pursuant to the terms of the MoU, Renesas will, following consultation of the Sequans' works council and favorable recommendation by the Sequans Board, commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares, including American Depositary Shares (ADS) of Sequans for $3.03 per ADS (each ADS representing four ordinary shares) in cash. The transaction values Sequans at approximately $249 million, including net debt, and is expected to close by the first quarter of calendar year 2024, subject to confirmation of tax treatment from relevant authorities, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Upon closing of the transaction, Renesas intends to integrate Sequans' breadth of cellular connectivity products and IP into its core product lineup, including microcontrollers, microprocessors, analog and mixed signal front ends. The acquisition will allow Renesas to immediately expand its reach to the Wide Area Network (WAN) market space encompassing a broad range of data rates. It will also enhance Renesas' already rich portfolio of Personal Area Network (PAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) connectivity products.

The market for cellular IoT technology provided by companies like Sequans is growing rapidly, fueled by demand for smart meters, asset tracking systems, smart homes, smart cities, connected vehicles, fixed wireless access networks, and mobile computing devices. An industry study forecasts the number of cellular IoT devices will continue to grow by more than 10 percent annually.

The acquisition of Sequans is the latest effort by Renesas to expand its offering of connectivity products through strategic acquisitions, including the purchases of Dialog, Celeno and, most recently, Panthronics. Renesas and Sequans have been collaborating since 2020 to deliver full-scale solutions that combine Renesas' embedded processors and analog front-end products with Sequans' wireless chipsets for massive IoT and broadband IoT applications.

Founded in 2003, Sequans is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and develops chipsets and modules for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Offering products with extensive 5G/4G cellular categories, including 5G NR, Cat 4, Cat 1 and LTE-M/NB-IoT, Sequans provides reliable IoT wireless connectivity without the need for a gateway. The company also has proven expertise in low-power wireless devices, which is crucial in supporting massive IoT applications operating at low data rates. Its certified solutions are designed to work with all major radio frequency regulatory specifications by leading carriers in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Read the full press release here.

Renesas

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