Ethertronics

Ethertronics, founded in 2000 and headquartered in San Diego, California, is a designer and manufacturer of high-performance embedded antenna and radio frequency (RF) systems. The company's core products include passive antennas and smart antenna systems featuring Active Steering technology, which enhances throughput, range, and reliability for wireless communications. Ethertronics serves a broad range of markets, providing antenna solutions for mobile phones, Wi-Fi, Internet of Things (IoT), medical, defense, and aerospace applications. Its client base consists of leading wireless handset and device manufacturers worldwide, and the company has shipped over two billion antenna systems.

The company's proprietary Isolated Magnetic Dipole (IMD) technology creates antennas that are efficient and less sensitive to ground plane changes or local interference. This design allows for tuning across multiple frequencies in confined spaces, a critical feature for modern compact electronic devices. Ethertronics holds over 200 patents and provides a variety of antenna structures, including stamped metal, ceramic, and Laser Direct Structuring (LDS). It also offers comprehensive support services, from initial design and prototyping to performance testing and validation.

In January 2018, AVX Corporation signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ethertronics for approximately $142 million in cash and the assumption of $8 million in net debt. The acquisition was completed on January 31, 2018, and Ethertronics became a wholly-owned subsidiary of AVX, now operating as part of the KYOCERA AVX group. At the time of the acquisition, Ethertronics employed around 700 people, with 120 focused on product development, and had generated approximately $90 million in revenue in the 2017 fiscal year. The company maintains a global presence with design, manufacturing, and sales facilities in the USA, China, South Korea, Vietnam, France, and Taiwan.

Keywords: embedded antennas, active steering, isolated magnetic dipole, RF systems, wireless communications, IoT antennas, 5G antennas, Wi-Fi antennas, custom antenna design, Laser Direct Structuring, antenna manufacturing, mobile device antennas, M2M communication, passive antennas, wireless solutions, RF testing, smart antennas, KYOCERA AVX, antenna systems, wireless components