[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Sigma Designs, the leader in connected media platforms, and Mitsumi are pleased to announce that Mitsumi is now a licensed second source for Z-Wave® 500 series wireless RF technology, a Sigma Designs technology. As a second source, Mitsumi will independently produce and deliver the latest generation of Z-Wave 500 series modules as well as a Mitsumi original design module that will expand the functionality for Z-Wave in more commercial markets making it easier for large multi-international companies and government operations that require a second source to adopt Z-Wave.

“We welcome Mitsumi as a second source for our newest Z-Wave product line,” stated Sigma Designs' CEO Thinh Tran. “With Mitsumi, we are able to draw upon the wealth of experience, technology, and ideas that it possesses as a general electronics component manufacturer. With the rapid growth of this market sector, we hope to ensure a consistent supply of silicon to meet the demand with a strong second source partner.”

As the leading standard for home area networks, Sigma Designs' Z-Wave brings affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use wireless control to every aspect of daily life, including home monitoring and security, home control, entertainment control, healthcare, and energy management. Z-Wave (ITU standard G.9959) is a proven and interoperable wireless mesh networking technology that allows a wide array of devices in and around the home to communicate including lighting, appliances, HVAC, and security systems.

“We are pleased to be able to be a second-source supplier of Sigma‘s Z-Wave technology,” says Fujio Furukawa, senior vice president at Electronic Devices Business HQ of Mitsumi. “The market for Z-Wave is booming and we want to capitalize on Z-Wave’s global potential. Further, we are very excited to drive Z-Wave further in the Japanese market where the interest in Z-Wave technology has great potential for energy reduction in residential as well as commercial applications.”