STMicroelectronics (News - Alert), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, recently said in a press release that it is on the verge of completing acquisition of the semiconductor assets and intellectual property of Arkados, which will enhance its powerline communication (PLC) capabilities.

Both Arkados and ST have been working since 2008 to develop best-in-class HomePlug (News - Alert) wideband PLC solutions which are focused on accelerating the development and deployment of Convergent Digital Home Networking via wideband PLC technology.  provides the key advantage of the ‘no-new-wire’ approach to users because high-speed home networks can be created by using the power sockets and wiring infrastructure that already exist in the home.

“ST is continuing to extend its leadership in energy management and energy savings by focusing on the most innovative technologies to deliver the applications that will allow people to enjoy the widest access to information and entertainment anytime, anywhere, while minimizing power consumption,” said Carmelo Papa, senior executive vice president and general manager of the Industrial and Multisegment Sector at STMicroelectronics, in a statement.

“We believe that the Arkados implementation of the HomePlug technologies offers many advantages in terms of size, simplicity, flexibility and future expandability over other industry proposals. Combining ST’s technology with Arkados’ expertise in broadband powerline communications will accelerate the widespread adoption of PLC as a backbone for home networks and smart grid,” concluded Papa.

Today, ST is already the undisputed leader in Smart Metering, which gives consumers the ability to monitor and manage their electricity usage as never before, and in Smart-Grid Powerline Communication. ST’s narrow-band PLC platforms are already extensively deployed in major smart-metering infrastructure programs worldwide.

Recently, STMicroelectronics and electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation announced Team McGill as the winners of the iNEMO Design Contest. Each project in the competition contained an iNEMO Inertial Measurement Unit and was judged on the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) used from the 10 degrees of freedom available in total, the quality of its hardware and firmware/software, the design’s novelty, its use of daughter boards, and the final project’s ease of use and appeal of its user interface.

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Rahul Arora is a TMCnet contributor. He has worked as an editor and freelance writer for several reputed organizations in India. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell