Ikanos Communications, Incorporated, was a provider of semiconductor and software products for use in homes. It was headquartered in
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San Fra ...
. The company’s
digital subscriber line
Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric di ...
, communications processors and other products were used in
customer premises equipment
In telecommunications, a customer-premises equipment or customer-provided equipment (CPE) is any terminal and associated equipment located at a subscriber's premises and connected with a carrier's telecommunication circuit at the demarcation po ...
from network equipment manufacturers and telecommunications service providers.
History
On December 10, 2001, the founder and chief technology officer of Ikanos, Behrooz Rezvani, announced he was editor of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
(IEEE) draft standard for
Ethernet in the first mile
Ethernet in the first mile (EFM) refers to using one of the Ethernet family of computer network technologies between a telecommunications company and a customer's premises. From the customer's point of view, it is their first mile, although from th ...
over copper.
On August 24, 2009 Ikanos acquired
Conexant
Conexant Systems, Inc. was an American-based software developer and fabless semiconductor company that developed technology for voice and audio processing, imaging and modems. The company began as a division of Rockwell International, before ...
's Broadband Access product line for about $54 million in cash. It also announced an investment of $42 million from Tallwood Venture Capital.
In June 2010, John Quigley replaced Michael Gulett as chief executive (who left in April). He was the fifth CEO in six years.
A U.S. appeals court on May 25, 2012 revived a shareholder lawsuit accusing Ikanos of failing to properly disclose known defects in its semiconductor chips at the time it was conducting a 2006 stock offering.
In August 2015, Ikanos was acquired by
Qualcomm Atheros
Qualcomm Atheros is a developer of semiconductor chips for network communications, particularly wireless chipsets. Founded under the name T-Span Systems in 1998 by experts in signal processing and VLSI design from Stanford University, the Un ...
in a deal worth around $47 million, with Qualcomm taking on $20 million of liabilities from Ikanos.
In August 2016 Qualcomm Atheros has closed its recently acquired Ikanos operations.
References
{{Reflist
Telecommunications companies established in 1999
Digital subscriber line
Electronics companies of the United States
Companies based in Fremont, California
Fabless semiconductor companies
Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
1999 establishments in California