company and an equal shares joint venture between GEC-Marconi and Finmeccanica's Alenia Difesa. Tracor in 1998. Other acquisitions included: Divisions of Plessey in 1989 (others acquired by its partner in the deal, Siemens AG, to meet with regulatory approval). Plessey Avionics Plessey Naval Systems Plessey Cryptography Plessey Electronic Systems (75%) Sippican Leigh Instruments In a major reorganisation of the company, GEC-Marconi was renamed Marconi Electronic Systems in 1996 and was separated from other non-defence assets. Since 1999 In 1999, GEC underwent a major transformation. Marconi Electronic Systems, which included its wireless assets, was demerged and sold to British Aerospace which then formed BAE Systems. GEC, realigning itself as a primarily telecommunications company following the MES sale, retained the Marconi brand and renamed itself Marconi plc. BAE were granted limited rights to continue use of the Marconi name in existing partnerships, which had ceased by 2005. Major spending and the dot-com collapse led to a major restructuring of the Marconi group in 2003: in a debt-for-equity swap, shareholders retained 0.5% of the new company, Marconi Corporation plc. In October 2005 the Swedish firm Ericsson offered to buy the Marconi name and most of the assets. The transaction was completed on 23 January 2006, effective as of 1 January 2006. The remainder of the Marconi company, with some 2,000 staff working on telecommunications infrastructure in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, was renamed Telent. See also Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom GEC-Marconi scientist deaths conspiracy theory Marconiphone Marconi-Osram Valve Imperial Wireless Chain Sinking of the RMS Titanic (section 14 April 1912) References Baker, W. J. (1970, 1996) History of the Marconi Company 1894–1965. External links Ericsson press release about the acquisition Catalogue of the Marconi Archives At the Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts, Bodleian Library, University of Oxford Marconi Calling The Life, Science and Achievements of Guglielmo Marconi History of Marconi House Electronics companies of the United Kingdom Computer companies of the United Kingdom Telegraph companies of the United Kingdom Defunct technology companies of the United Kingdom Defunct computer hardware companies Guglielmo Marconi Companies based in Chelmsford General Electric Company Radio manufacturers