Intel (http://www.intel.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Texas Instruments’ cable modem product line. The agreement is subject to regulatory review and customary closing conditions.

It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2010. All employees of Texas Instruments’ cable modem team received offers to join Intel at sites in their home countries, primarily Israel, and will become part of Intel’s Digital Home Group. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The purchase enhances Intel’s focus on the cable industry and related consumer electronics (CE) market segments, where the company’s expertise in building advanced system-on-chip (SoC) products, based on Intel Atom processors, will be applied, says Bob Ferreira, general manager, Cable Segment, Intel’s Digital Home Group.

Intel plans to combine Texas Instruments’ best-of-breed Puma product lines with the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard technology and Intel SoCs to deliver advanced set top box, residential gateway and modem products for the cable industry, he adds. The objective is to provide cable original equipment manufacturers with an open and powerful platform for delivering innovative and differentiated products to service providers that improve the video, voice and data content experience at home.