Avnet Memec and Wavecom Extend Distribution Agreement

MUNICH, Germany and ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, France --Avnet Memec, the highly specialized semiconductor distributor of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, announced the extension of its distribution agreement with Wavecom SA. The strategic partnership will be extended to the UK and Ireland. Already one year ago Wavecom and Avnet Memec extended their existing relationship with Italy, Greece and Turkey to include Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.

"We are very proud that Wavecom has extended the distribution agreement now also to the UK and Ireland. It is a reward for our activities over the last months and also highlights Wavecom's trust in our expertise in the field of marketing and selling industrial wireless technology across Europe. Wavecom's Wireless CPU products fit well into our technology strategy, and our model is well aligned to Wavecom's expectations" stated Steve Haynes, President of Avnet Memec.

Jon Ellis, Vice President Technical Marketing, Avnet Memec, added: "Wavecom's Wireless CPU devices are so much more than just wireless modules or modems. The Open AT Software Suite is the market's most powerful and flexible cellular software platform, designed and optimised for M2M communication, and enabling customers to achieve very tangible time-to-market and cost reductions. Our customers in the UK and Ireland will also appreciate the extensive service offering, which includes Wavecom University training programs and custom design expertise. Avnet Memec is already very well positioned in all of the markets for which Wavecom products have been designed, such as Security and Alarms, Control and Monitoring, Industrial Automation, Fleet Management, Tracking and Smart Metering. The combination of forces across Europe and industry segments will help both Avnet Memec and Wavecom to drive the technical innovation surrounding Wireless CPUs."

Pierre Piver, Group Vice President EMEA, Wavecom, commented, "Avnet Memec will help Wavecom to further strengthen our position as a world-leader in embedded wireless technology for M2M, targeting some of the most dynamic industrial wireless markets in Europe. With its excellent know-how concerning wireless communications markets and its extensive team of technical sales and field application engineers, Avnet Memec is well suited to serve customers with Wavecom technology across Europe."

About Avnet Memec
Avnet Memec, an independent business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, is a highly specialized semiconductor distributor, operating on a pan-European basis and employing a significant number of engineers to support customers' design efforts. Avnet Memec specialises in highly innovative suppliers and technologies, which will help a variety of customers to differentiate their designs. Its area of specialization extends from Analog and Microcontrollers to RF, Datacom and Networking. The business unit operates out of 30 offices in 17 European countries and represents major semiconductor franchises on a pan-European basis.

About Wavecom
Wavecom is a leading provider of embedded wireless technology for M2M (machine-to-machine) communication. We provide a range of GSM/GPRS, CDMA, EDGE and 3G Wireless CPUs; programmable processors which also act as wireless modules or wireless modems. These are backed by a C and Lua-based cellular wireless software suite which includes a real-time operating system (RTOS), a software development environment based on Eclipse, and several Plug-Ins (GPS, TCP/IP, security, Bluetooth, Lua script and more). We also offer a wide range of professional and operated services. Our solutions are used for automotive telematics, smart metering, fleet management, GSM/GPS/satellite tracking, wireless alarms, wireless POS (point of sales), WLL (fixed voice), remote monitoring and many other M2M applications.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux (France) near Paris, Wavecom has subsidiaries in Hong Kong (PRC), Research Triangle Park, NC (USA), Farnborough (UK), Munich (Germany) and Sao Paolo (Brazil). Wavecom is publicly traded on Euronext Paris (Eurolist) in France and on the NASDAQ (WVCM) exchange in the U.S.