This IDC study provides an overview and analysis of M&A deals in 2Q12 across all major sectors of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, including enterprise IT infrastructure, telecommunications, enterprise applications, IT services, semiconductors and components, Internet, and mobile.

"After a strong start to 2012, ICT exit activity has pulled back as M&A volume decreased by 4.4% from 1,003 deals in 1Q12 to 959 in 2Q12. The slowdown in M&A volume indicates that the recovery of the exit market that has been going on since the beginning of 2011 is still fragile as evidenced by five consecutive quarters of ups and downs in tech M&A volumes. Apparently, the continuous European debt crisis and concerns over U.S. economic growth still weigh on market sentiment and deal making. However, the extent of the slowdown in 2Q12 was not very severe and probably does not indicate that the market is slipping into a major downturn. Furthermore, in contrast to the decrease in M&A and IPO deal volumes, M&A spending marked a significant increase, reaching $53.4 billion in total disclosed deal value compared with $40.1 billion in 1Q12." — Dan Yachin, research director, IDC EMEA Emerging Technologies