Monday, November 3, 2008

Tatara sells mobile broadband assets to Smith Micro

By Mass High Tech Staff

Acton-based femtocell technology developer Tatara Systems Inc. has announced the sale of assets relating to its mobile broadband product line to Smith Micro Software Inc., a California software developer for the wireless market.

The undisclosed cash deal includes some patents, intellectual property and technology associated with broadband connection; mobile gateway software; connection management software; and the Vancouver, Canada-based facilities and engineering staff.

While founded as a maker of security technologies for mobile broadband and wireless local area networks, Tatara shifted gears last year to focus on the growing fixed-mobile convergence market, specifically home wireless base stations, or femtocells. Infonetics Research reports that the fixed mobile convergence space, including femtocells, is poised to grow tenfold between 2007 and 2011 to almost $80 billion.

Waltham-based North Bridge Venture Partners and Highland Capital Partners invested $6.5 million in Tatara in May, bringing the total amount raised by the company to $36.5 million since its inception in 2001.