Semiconductor giant Intel is the mystery buyer that has emerged for ST-Ericsson's global navigation satellite system (GNSS) business.
Intel had been fingered as a possible buyer of the unit, put up for sale when joint owners Ericsson and ST Microelectronics decided to split, along with Intel's rival AMD, graphics card maker nVidia, and Texas Instruments.
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ST-Ericsson's geolocation portfolio includes handset receivers compatible with the US global positioning system (GPS) and Russia's GLONASS location service - an arguably niche business at the moment, but the technology could become increasingly important in smart watches, cameras and "wearables" in the future.
Earlier today, the companies said that they had signed an agreement to sell the business, including intellectual property, and 130 staff in Daventry in the UK, as well as Bangalore in India and Singapore.
The sale of the unit comes after the two companies repatriated the assets that they wanted, leaving just a handful of businesses that they agreed to put up for sale.
ST-Ericsson's current range of geolocation receivers are based on the company's NovaThor system-on-a-chip, but that has been discontinued as a result of the break-up.
The company principally competes with Qualcomm and Samsung, which both have portfolios of geolocation products.
