GNSS (all systems)

Microsemi Corporation to Acquire Symmetricom, Inc.

Microsemi Corporation  and Symmetricom, Inc.,  have announced a definitive agreement for Microsemi to acquire the San Jose, California­–based precision time and frequency provider.
 
The agreement offers stockholders $7.18 per share through a cash tender, representing a premium of 49 percent based on the average closing price of Symmetricom’s shares of common stock during the 90 trading days ended October 18, 2013. The total transaction value is approximately $230 million, net of Symmetricom’s projected cash balance at closing.
 

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U.S. Circuit Court Decision Broadens Requirement for Warrants in GPS-Aided Searches

A Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals recent decision to suppress evidence in a criminal case obtained by placing a GPS-based tracking unit on a suspect’s van appears to strengthen the requirement for police to obtain warrants before taking such measures.

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FAA Loosens Rules for Personal Electronic Devices On Board Planes

Flight management system on Airbus 319. Wikimedia Commons photo by Ralf Roletschek

Acting on a set of recommendations by an advisory committee, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (October 31, 2013) the agency’s determination that airlines can safely expand passenger use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) during all phases of flight.

New guidelines for the airlines will allow the use of PEDs, typically consumer electronbics ranging from tablet computers, e-readers, and GPS receivers to small devices such as MP3 players and electronic toys, even during takeoff and landing under normal conditions.

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GSA Releases New Report on GNSS Markets: 7 Billion Devices, $478 Billion Revenues by 2022

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has released its third market report, which predicts an installed base of 7 billion devices worldwide by 2022 — almost one for every person on the planet.

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“Indoor GPS” Technologies Emerge as Retailers’ Interest in Tracking Soars

New technologies are emerging to fill the gap left by GNSS services whose signals cannot penetrate indoor spaces. Using everything from triangulation and flickering light bulbs to the Earth’s magnetic field, start-up companies are lining up to help brick-and-mortar retailers beat back their online competition with location-inspired service.

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Finally Funded, GPS Adjacent-Band Compatibility Study Now Delayed by Shutdown

Although delayed for a year for lack of funding — and delayed yet again by the government shutdown — research to help set GPS-protecting interference standards appears poised to get underway.

The ABC or Adjacent-Band Compatibility Assessment is part of a broad plan to draft spectrum interference standards covering all GPS civil receivers. The approach would give potential users of frequencies neighboring the GPS band clear limits so they can test and plan accordingly.

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