(Telecompaper) Sony has agreed to buy Altair Semiconductor for USD 212 million, expanding in the LTE chip market. Based in Israel, Altair owns modem chip technology and related software for LTE. Its modem chips stand out for their low power consumption, high performance and competitive cost, Sony said. In addition to strengthening Sony's mobile phone business, the acquisition is expected to help Sony develop in the Internet of Things market. Sony expects to close the acquisition in early February.