DEALS: Blackstone gets Freescale for $17.6B


Blackstone buys Freescale for $17.6 billion in the largest ever leveraged buyout in the technology sector.


DEALS

WHO

WITH

WHAT

SCOOP

Blackstone Group

Freescale Semiconductor

Blackstone is buying Freescale for $17.6B

It's the largest ever leveraged buyout in the technology sector. Speculation is that the group may either spin off the mobile phone chip business or use the Motorola spin-off as a way to make other acquisitions.

Motorola

Symbol

Mot's buying Symbol for a cool $3.9B

Symbol's offerings include a range of devices for the mobile enterprise like handheld computers, bar code scanners, RFID tech and WiFi, which are widely used by warehouse workers, delivery services and large retail outlets. Symbol will be an integral piece of Motorola's enterprise strategy. 

RealNetworks

WiderThan

RealNetworks will acquire WiderThan for $350M

WiderThan offers ringback tones, on-demand music and other entertainment services to more than 50 operators around the world and gives RealNetworks a bigger piece of the mobile entertainment space.