Weeks after acquiring Affirmed Networks, Microsoft announced yet another acquisition to bolster its telecom cloud offering. Microsoft is acquiring London-based Metaswitch Networks, a leading provider of virtualised network software and solutions for Telecom operators.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Announcing the agreement, Microsoft’s VP of Azure Networking Yousef Khalidi said: “As the industry moves to 5G, operators will have opportunities to advance the virtualization of their core networks and move forward on a path to an increasingly cloud-native future”.
Metaswitch’s complementary portfolio of ultra-high-performance, cloud-native communications software will expand our range of offerings available for the telecommunications industry, said Mr Khalidi.
“The convergence of cloud and communication networks presents a unique opportunity for Microsoft to serve operators globally”
Counting BT, Spark, Vodafone among others as customers, the UK headquartered Metaswitch Networks has built a reputation as an independent developer of critical networking software, delivering products and solutions worldwide to more than 1,000 communications service providers and network equipment providers.
Metaswitch CEO Mr Martin Lund said “I am proud and excited to announce that Microsoft has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch Networks. I am more excited than ever to continue our journey with the added momentum, technology, services, and people that Microsoft can bring”.
We’ll be ideally placed to aid telecom operators keen to transition to cloud-native deployments, to 5G networks and to the era of compelling applications that are served from the core and edge of new network architectures,” said Mr Lund.
In another development, Google recently announced Anthos for Telecom and Global Mobile Edge Cloud, a reminder of the growing importance of 5G and edge computing for cloud providers.
The announcement comes weeks after Microsoft acquired Affirmed Networks, a leading provider of virtualized, cloud-native mobile network solutions for Telecom operators. With the two “complementary” acquisitions, Microsoft is strengthening its position as a leading 5G and cloud services provider to telecom carriers.
