AVX Acquires Innovative, Award-Winning Antenna Company, Ethertronics

FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. (February 7, 2018) – AVX Corporation, a leading manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components and interconnect, sensor, control and antenna solutions, has completed its purchase of Ethertronics Inc., a leading manufacturer of passive and active Isolated Magnetic Dipole™ (IMD) antenna systems for wireless applications across the mobile phone, Wi-Fi, defense, aerospace, medical, and IoT markets. IMD antennas are extremely efficient, insensitive to changes in ground planes and local interference, and have a unique design that offers users the flexibility to tune for multiple frequencies in confined spaces and to actively tune for both radiation pattern coverage and frequency.

This January, Ethertronics earned an Electronic Products 2017 Product of the Year Award for its groundbreaking 802.11ax WiFi Active Steering™ System, which doubles Wi-Fi performance and range with the combination of a steering processor and antenna switch and provides critical scalability for next-generation 802.11ax applications. The EC477 Active Steering Processor enables radio link optimization on a per-antenna, per-client, per-packet basis, supports up to 8 x 8 MIMO antenna configurations, and combines signals to achieve up to 3dB additional gain of the radio link. The EC624 Active Steering Switch acts as a slave device to the steering processor, selecting the desired beam pattern of an active antenna on a moment-by-moment basis to keep the radiation pattern on target. Both devices use a data-over-coax signaling scheme that allows the devices to interact with both the antennas and each other over the same cable that carries the RF signal, eliminating the need for additional cabling and custom connectors and reducing costs compared to other MIMO configurations.

Ethertronics, along with Channel Master, a leading retail-based TV provider, also announced the first-ever processor-enabled consumer TV antenna at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January. The new SMARTenna+ with Active Steering Technology is a maximum-range indoor TV antenna that utilizes an internal processor to analyze and select optimum signal reception patterns as an automated feature, effectively performing as seven TV antennas in seven different simultaneous locations via a single, stationary device. Featuring seven different internal reception array patterns, a smart Ethertronics processor, built-in signal amplification, automatic noise filtering, the maximum reception range possible, and the added convenience of new, patented push-on cable connectors, the SMARTenna+ overcomes 90% of common indoor reception issues experienced by all other indoor antennas on the market today, delivering more channels and better reception ideal for the current cord-cutting culture. Currently available for pre-order through Channel Master’s online store, with inventory expected before the end of March, SMARTenna+ will retail for $89.

With its purchase of Ethertronics, AVX acquired more than 200 patents; R&D, manufacturing, and sales facilities in six locations: China, South Korea, Vietnam, France, Taiwan, and the Americas; and approximately 700 employees, 120 of whom are actively engaged in product development, representing a strong focus on R&D that is further supported by the company’s $90 million of revenue earned in calendar year 2017.

“Adding Ethertronics innovative and award-winning products to our already-extensive portfolio of advanced electronic component solutions significantly extends our reach into the wide world of antenna technology, which provides critical enabling support for the steady-growth wireless equipment market. We are proud to add this premier brand to the AVX product family and are excited for the many new growth opportunities it will offer,” said AVX President and Chief Executive Officer, John Sarvis.