Microcosm Communications Ltd

Shares of Conexant Systems Inc. rose $8.02, or 15%, to close at $63.20 Friday, the first day of trading after the Newport Beach maker of semiconductors said it bought Britain's Microcosm Communications Ltd. Conexant said it is paying $128 million in stock for Microcosm to gain chips for fiber-optic gear. Separately, Conexant on Friday unveiled a series of networking chips for digital cordless telephones.

Shares of Conexant Systems Inc. rose $8.02, or 15%, to close at $63.20 Friday, the first day of trading after the Newport Beach maker of semiconductors said it bought Britain's Microcosm Communications Ltd. Conexant said it is paying $128 million in stock for Microcosm to gain chips for fiber-optic gear. Separately, Conexant on Friday unveiled a series of networking chips for digital cordless telephones.

Conexant Systems Inc., the Newport Beach computer chip maker, said Thursday that it acquired a small British networking company in a stock swap valued at $128 million. Conexant said the purchase price of Microcosm Communications could reach up to $180 million, based on possible payments tied to future performance. Microcosm, a 50-person engineering firm in Bristol, England, makes networking chips for high-speed fiber-optic equipment.

Conexant Systems Inc., the Newport Beach computer chip maker, said Thursday that it acquired a small British networking company in a stock swap valued at $128 million. Conexant said the purchase price of Microcosm Communications could reach up to $180 million, based on possible payments tied to future performance. Microcosm, a 50-person engineering firm in Bristol, England, makes networking chips for high-speed fiber-optic equipment.

Conexant Systems Inc., a high-speed communications chip maker that has been paying top dollar for acquisitions, said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy a Canadian company for as much as $213.8 million in stock to boost its line of wireless products. The Newport Beach company would swap 2.685 million to 3 million shares for the stock of closely held Philsar Semiconductor Inc., depending on Conexant's closing price during a set period before the deal closes.