Qualcomm agreed a deal with Sequans Communications to acquire the French semiconductor company’s 4G IoT technologies, a move the US chip giant stated bolsters its industrial portfolio and digital transformation offerings.

Value of the deal is undisclosed and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including French regulatory approval. The deal includes certain employees, licences and assets, stated the companies.

Qualcomm explained the acquisition will help it strengthen its industrial IoT portfolio, through which it offers low-power solutions to optimise connectivity for IoT applications at the edge. It added it is aiming to use Sequans’ assets to establish a leadership position in the space.

Sequans, a supplier of mobile semiconductor services in the IoT market, will retain the right to use the 4G IoT technology through a licensing agreement, as well as maintain ownership of its 5G portfolio.

Nakul Duggal, group general manager of automotive, industrial and embedded IoT and cloud computing at Qualcomm said digital transformation was being driven by high-performance processing and intelligence at the edge, positioning the company “for growth in one of the largest addressable opportunities”.

“This acquisition of Sequans’ 4G IoT technology adds to Qualcomm’s broad portfolio, further strengthening our offerings across enterprise customers of low-power solutions for reliable, optimised cellular connectivity for Industrial IoT applications,” he added.