Apple to buy Intel cellular modem unit

Apple Inc. is buying Intel Corp.’s struggling cellular modem unit, bringing on key engineering talent and patents that will allow the technology giant to more quickly develop crucial components to connect its devices to the mobile internet.

The deal will give Apple 2,200 new employees and now a total holding of 17,000 wireless patents. Apple has been using Intel modems exclusively in iPhones since last year. But after having settled its long-standing royalties’ lawsuit with Qualcomm Inc. in April, it will go back to using that company’s 5G cellular modems for future versions of products like the iPhone.

Qualcomm was the first to offer such technology at a mass scale and was on track to have its second-generation chip in the market before Intel released its first. Eventually, Apple wants to shed all third-party partners and bring modem production in-house, a move that the deal with Intel should help expedite.

Apple has been working on its own modem technology for the past couple of years and has established development centers, including in San Diego, a hotbed for modem development and Qualcomm’s backyard, to support the effort. In recent months, Apple has been ramping up hiring from Intel and Qualcomm to work on 5G modems.

Ola Buys Ridlr

India’s largest cab-hailing firm Ola has bought transportation information provider Ridlr, as it looks to expand its fledgling public transportation business that has become an important battlefront in its fight with arch-rival Uber.

Ola started out as a private cab aggregator in 2011, but it has since added auto rickshaws and yellow taxis. After a slow start, Ola’s auto rickshaw business has become a differentiator for the company against Uber over the past year. With the acquisition of Ridlr, Ola plans to add bus, metro and train ticket bookings on its platform and try and become a hub of urban transportation for customers.

The move to expand its public transportation business is one of Ola’s most ambitious efforts. Cab rides comprise a minuscule part of urban transportation. If Ola can build an early, meaningful lead in bus and train bookings, it will become difficult for Uber to catch up with its local rival. Ola and Uber, both of which count Japan’s SoftBank Group as their largest shareholder, have been locked in an expensive market-share battle.

Since starting out in 2012, Mumbai-based Ridlr had raised $7-8 million in capital. Its last funding round was in July 2016 when Times Internet, Matrix Partners and Qualcomm Ventures invested $6 million in the firm. Ridlr provides data on bus and train routes and prices in 19 cities and allows users to book tickets for public transportation services. It also provides real-time traffic information.

Wibmo acquires start-up Mypoolin

US-based digital payment company Wibmo Inc. has bought Bengaluru based payment solution provider Mypoolin in a cash and stock deal. The deal was valued above $1 Million and all existing investors will get a combination of stock and cash.

Mypoolin will continue to operate as an Indian subsidiary of Wibmo, but eventually the Bengaluru-based start-up will be integrated with the Wibmo. Incorporated in 2015, Mypoolin provides payment solutions for retail merchants and allows individual users to send and receive money directly from banks. It also provided a feature to split and settle bills with friends using a web interface.

In 2015, Mypoolin raised $250,000 from Qualcomm Ventures, the venture capital arm of the semiconductor maker Qualcomm Inc., Accel Partners, Investopad and many other prominent angel investors. In total the company has raised less than $500,000. On the other hand, Wibmo already has a B2B presence in India and claims to work with private banks in India. The US company plans to use Mypoolin acquisition for expanding its consumer base.

Other acquisitions in the fintech space include The Mobile Wallet, which in January acquired payment platform Trupay for an undisclosed amount. The deal will help TMW expand its payment solutions. In the same month, media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) acquired a stake in a Mumbai-based online lending firm FinReq.

Bharti Airtel Buys Augere

Bharti Airtel has agreed to acquire Augere Wireless Broadband India, as the nation’s top telecom carrier looks to consolidate its 4G footprint ahead of the launch of similar high speed broadband services by rivals such as Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Upon acquisition Augere will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel. Augere had won a block of 20 MHz of 4G spectrum in the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh circle for Rs 122.46 crore in 2010 auctions. The company owned by France Telecom and a clutch of private equity funds such as Harbinger Capital and New Silk Route initially announced plans of rolling out 4G services in late 2011.

The latest move will allow Airtel to expand its 4G high speed broadband footprint ahead of the 4G launch by Reliance Jio and Vodafone, scheduled for December. Idea launch is slated for early next year. Airtel had bought airwaves in the 2300 MHz band in Kolkata, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka in the 2010 spectrum auctions and later acquired chip-maker Qualcomm airwaves in another four circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala and Haryana.

Both 4G and 3G spectrum are critical for the next phase of growth of mobile phone operators as mobile data increasingly replaces voices as the main growth driver for them. Airtel posted almost 80% growths in its mobile data revenue in the first fiscal quarter through June. In March, Airtel entered into a partnership with China Mobile, the world’s largest telecom operator. 

Olacabs to acquire TaxiForSure

Taxi aggregators are readying themselves to take on the global giant Uber, once the regulatory issues are cleared in India. Olacabs, the Indian startup supported by Japan Softbank’s is buying its rival TaxiForSure, signaling consolidation in the nascent taxi app market. Key investors in TaxiForSure include Accel partners and Qualcomm.

The deal, which is estimated to be worth around $200-250 Million, will be second largest deal in the customer internet space after Flipkart $370 Million acquisition of Myntra. It will make Olacabs the leader in taxi aggregator business in India valued at $2 Billion. Ola is likely to pay cash and also offer stock to acquire TaxiForSure. Apart from taking on the $40 billion Uber, the move is also aimed at lowering the cost.

Globally too taxi aggregators are in talks to form an international alliance against Uber, potentially linking up regional players including Olacabs, Singapore Grab Taxi, and San Francisco based Flywheel. Though, none of the Indian Taxi aggregator companies have started making profit yet, TaxiForSure, run by Bangalore based Senrendipity Infolabs, seems to be in urgent need for financial support.

Olacabs, cofounded by IIT Bombay alumnus Bhavish Aggarwal and his college mate Ankit Bhati, received $210 million in funding led by Japanese communications conglomerate Softbank in October. TaxiForSure had snagged $30 Million from Accel and Qualcomm, but Olacabs fundraising demonstrated that momentum had swung its way. IIM Ahmedabad graduates Raghunandan G and Aprameya Radhakrishna found TaxiForSure.