Uniden Holdings Corporation (ユニデンホールディングス株式会社, Yuniden Hôrudingusu) is a Japanese company in the wireless communication industry.
History Uniden was established in 1966 by its founder Hidero Fujimoto as "Uni Electronics Corp". Uniden became a well-known brand in the 1970s by manufacturing and marketing millions of citizens band radios (CB), under the Uniden brand as well as for other companies such as Midland and Realistic, which rebranded the equipment under their own labels. Uniden also marketed CB radios in the United Kingdom under the Uniden and Uniace brands during the early 1980s. During the 1980s, Uniden grew to become the world's largest manufacturer of cordless telephones in addition to television satellite equipment, mobile radios, advanced marine electronics and radio scanners (the latter under the BearCat brand). In Europe, it became successful in the telecommunications market with its introduction of 900 MHz cordless telephones. As Uniden continued to grow and extend its international operations, Uniden Australia and Uniden New Zealand were established in 1989. Uniden's revenue has plummeted since smartphones and VoIP solutions became mainstream. In 2007, Uniden had revenue of ¥77.7 billion. Three years later in 2010, Uniden reported revenue of ¥35.5 billion. In 2017, Uniden began the R-Series, Uniden's first digital radar detectors, with the introduction of the R1 and R3. Uniden then continued with the introduction of the R7, R8, and R4. In 2023, Uniden launched the R9, their first custom-install radar detector and laser jammer system. In late 2024, Uniden released an updated version of many of their R-Series models with the introduction of the R4w, R8w, and R9w, bringing Wi-Fi support to their detectors. Wi-Fi enables over-the-air firmware updates and updates to the on-device GPS database via the official R/Tach app.
Acquisition of Attowave (2021) On 24 September 2021, Uniden acquired Attowave Co., Ltd., a Seoul-based South Korean developer and manufacturer of radar-detector technology established in 1998, for approximately ¥2.12 billion (₩22.9 billion). Attowave’s patented horn-antenna and RF-circuit designs are now integrated into Uniden’s R-series radar detectors (e.g., R4 and R8).. The deal also marked Uniden’s first major hardware-technology acquisition and expanded its R&D footprint into South Korea. Notably, Uniden's radar detectors are now manufactured in South Korea.
Operation As of 2018, core products included cordless telephones, radar detectors, radio scanners, CB radios, and security/surveillance products. According to the company’s support site, Uniden no longer produces cordless telephones as of 2023. At one point Uniden produced more than two million wireless products every month and purportedly manufactured one cordless phone every 3.2 seconds—a statistic still cited on Uniden Australia's website. Uniden operates globally, but its main commercial activities are situated in the United States and Japan. Manufacturing sites have been located in China, South Korea, and Vietnam. In 2008, Uniden began moving production from China to Vietnam to take advantage of lower wages. Uniden was purchased by Cornwall Capital, a private equity firm based in New York, in August 2022. Uniden was delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on 29 November 2022.
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References
External links In English Uniden America In English Uniden Australia In English Uniden Holdings Japan In Japanese Uniden Holdings Japan
