MUMBAI: American satellite radio company XM Satellite Radio announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire WCS Wireless, a private entity, for 5.5 million shares of XM Common Stock.

The principal assets of WCS Wireless are wireless spectrum licenses in geographic areas covering 163 million people throughout the United States, including 15 of the top 20 metropolitan markets.

On average, WCS Wireless licenses include 10 megahertz in the frequency bands adjacent to XM's satellite radio service. XM and WCS Wireless expect to close the transaction before the end of the year, subject to necessary government approvals.

XM's acquisition of WCS Wireless provides XM an exceptional opportunity to expand its existing business with a variety of multimedia subscription services, including innovative video and data offerings, transmitted over these new frequencies. XM expects to announce more detailed plans for the use of this additional spectrum in the future.

XM has more than 4.4 million subscribers.