Sierra Wireless is a Canadian multinational

wireless communications Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

equipment designer, manufacturer and services provider headquartered in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the adja ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It also maintains offices and operations in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, Sweden,

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, Japan, China,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. Sierra Wireless is an Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider. The company sells mobile computing and

machine-to-machine Machine to machine (M2M) is direct communication between devices using any communications channel, including wired and wireless. Machine to machine communication can include industrial instrumentation, enabling a sensor or meter to communicate th ...

(M2M) communications products that work over cellular networks, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile broadband wireless routers and gateways, modules, as well as software, tools, and services. Sierra Wireless products and technologies are used in a variety of markets and industries, including automotive and

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

, field service, healthcare, industrial and infrastructure, mobile computing and consumers, networking, sales and payment, and

security" \n\n\nsecurity.txt is a proposed standard for websites' security information that is meant to allow security researchers to easily report security vulnerabilities. The standard prescribes a text file called \"security.txt\" in the well known locat ...

. It also maintains a network of experts in mobile broadband and M2M integration to support customers worldwide. The company's products are sold directly to

OEMs An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

, as well as indirectly through distributors and resellers.

History

Sierra Wireless was founded in 1993 in Vancouver, Canada. In August 2003, it completed an acquisition of privately held, high-speed

CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...

wireless modules supplier, AirPrime, issuing approximately 3.7 million shares to AirPrime shareholders. On March 6, 2007, the company announced its purchase of Hayward, California-based AirLink Communications, a privately held developer of high-value fixed, portable, and mobile wireless data solutions. Prior to the May 2007 completion of its sale to Sierra Wireless for a total of $27 million in cash and stock, AirLink had reported $24.8 million in revenues and gross margin of 44 percent. In August 2008, Sierra Wireless purchased the assets of Junxion, a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

based producer of

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...

-based

mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

wireless access point In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP), or more generally just access point (AP), is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. As a standalone device, the AP may have a wired ...

s and network routers for enterprise and government customers. In December 2008, Sierra Wireless made a friendly all-cash bid to acquire

Wavecom Wavecom (acquired by Sierra Wireless in 2009) was a French technology company that developed and manufactured embedded wireless technology for Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, enabling transmission and reception of data and voice communic ...

, a French M2M wireless technology developer. The sale was completed for $275 million. In August 2012, the company acquired SAGEMCOM's M2M business in a cash transaction of EUR44.9 million plus assumed liabilities. In November 2012, Sierra Wireless was recognized as an M2M market leader by market research and intelligence firm, ABI Research. Based on the company's aggregated revenues, ABI found that Sierra Wireless held a 34 percent share of the M2M module market. In January 2013, Sierra Wireless sold all assets and operations related to its AirCard business to NETGEAR, Inc. for $138 million in cash plus approximately $6.5 million in assumed liabilities. In April 2017, Sierra Wireless acquired GlobalTop Technology's

GNSS A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

embedded modules business for $3.2 million. In December, 2017, Sierra Wireless acquired Numerex, in a deal estimated at US$107 million."Numerex Corp_ Announces Shareholder Approval of Merger Agreement,"
December 06, 2017, ''

Globe Newswire GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe. GlobeNewswire was a Nasdaq, Inc. subsidiary from September 2006 until April 2018 when West Corporation (now Intrado ...

,'' retrieved 2018-10-17press release: "Sierra Wireless, Inc. Completes Acquisition of Numerex Corp,"
December 07, 2017, Sierra Wireless, Inc., (als

at

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Business Wire Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, ...

'' retrieved 2018-10-17 In 2020, Sierra Wireless completed the acquisition of M2M Group in Australia for USD18.4 million and M2M One in

for USD3.5 million. In 2020 the company also sold its automotive business for USD144 million. In April 2020, Sierra Wireless appointed Samuel Cochrane as Chief Financial Officer. In November 2020, Sierra Wireless sold its automotive modules division to Rolling Wireless. In July 2021, Sierra Wireless appointed Phil Brace as CEO. In August 2022,

Semtech Semtech Corporation is a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for consumer, enterprise computing, communications and industrial end-markets. It is based in Camarillo, Ventura County, Southern California. I ...

agreed to buy Sierra Wireless in an all-cash transaction valued at US$1.2 billion including debt.

Patents and technology

Sierra Wireless has been granted more than 550 unique patents for an array of technologies ranging from built-in antennas and product form factors, to battery power usage and management and network efficiency improvements. The company currently has patents pending in the US,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, Australia,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Products

Sierra Wireless offers IoT products and services including the following: * AirLink, wireless gateways used in industrial, enterprise, and automotive applications. AirLink intelligent gateways and routers use embedded intelligence and the ALEOS Application Framework to support remote management, control, and configuration, and application services for vertical market solutions. * Embedded modules providing cellular connectivity for wireless mobile computing and M2M often used by device manufacturers to bring new 3G - 5G,

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

, and

devices to market via PCI Express MiniCards, surface-mount modules, modem-only functionality, and programmable devices. * AirVantage, a

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...

-based application facilitating M2M service delivery consisting of the AirVantage Management Service M2M device management application, and AirVantage Enterprise Platform for collecting, sharing, and integration of machine data using

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...

standards, as well as development and deployment of M2M applications. * Octave, The All-in-One Edge-to-Cloud Solution for connecting industrial assets. * Global Connectivity Services. * Managed Network Services, providing internet management under a single vendor for a complete solution. * Managed IoT Solutions, for agencies and enterprises that require tracking and monitoring. Available as fully-integrated managed services that includes asset/cargo tracking, satellite tracking, fleet tracking, offender monitoring, remote monitoring and cellular alarm communicators. Until the 2013 sale of all assets and operations, Sierra Wireless also manufactured and marketed AirCard, mobile broadband devices permitting users to connect

notebooks A notebook is a small book often used for writing. Notebook or The Notebook may also refer to: Computing *Laptop, a type of personal computer * Google Notebook, a discontinued online application * Notebook interface, a type of programming envir ...

, netbooks, and other electronics to the Internet over 3G and 4G mobile broadband networks via PC or express card slots,

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...

ports, or mobile WiFi hotspots.

Community support

Sierra Wireless is an active

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of the Lower Mainland supporter. For its efforts, the company was recognized with United Way Employee Gold Awards and a 2002 Award of Excellence. In 2003, Canadian

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

announced the creation of the Sierra Wireless Chair in Wireless Communication, which was funded through annual donations for a three-year period. Upon completion of the original three-year term, the company extended its partnership with the university by establishing an endowed Sierra Wireless Professorship in Mobile Communication. In partnership with the university's School of Engineering Science in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the Sierra Wireless Mobile Communications Laboratory was opened in November 2012.

References

External links