Intent on reasserting itself as the global technology leader if not in mobile devices then certainly in the network operating area, Nokia makes another deftly move in its quest of hauling tech and innovation providers elsewhere, to consolidate its position. By MKPE ABANG
Still fresh from acquiring Alcatel-Lucent, the Finnish technology giant, Nokia, is on song again, this time in the United States, where it is set to acquire Eden Rock Communications in a bid aimed at further strengthening Nokia Networks’ expertise in multivendor self-organising networks (SON) portfolio.
In the announcement which rocked the US and Finland, and reverberated across the world Wednesday, May 27, 2015, both firms revealed they have signed an agreement for Nokia Networks to acquire Eden Rock. Through this acquisition, Nokia Networks will gain access to Eden Rock’s multivendor Self Organising Network (SON) solution, Eden-NET, to integrate and include within its product portfolio. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2015.
Both companies however did not disclose the value of the deal, but said the transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of the year with Nokia saying Eden’s products provide automation, performance improvements and reliability to mobile broadband networks thus justifying the acquisition.
Eden Rock’s Eden-NET solution is the industry’s leading, proven, centralised, multivendor, SON solution for GSM, UMTS and LTE networks. Embedding Eden Rock’s patented technologies, the Eden-NET SON Modules autonomously deliver peak network performance, network reliability and operational efficiencies. Developed from the ground-up to address operators’ emerging needs for SON, Eden-NET provides an open framework with a Software Development Kit (SDK) that accelerates the creation, customization and deployment of custom SON Modules. Additionally, Eden Rock offers its rich toolbox of off-the-shelf SON Modules, which have been proven at-scale across diverse networks globally.
SON is one of the fastest growing and most important segments within the mobile broadband industry. Eden Rock is experiencing strong demand for its Eden-NET solution among operators across the globe. With Nokia Networks’ scale and global presence, it is extremely well positioned to address the urgent needs in the emerging SON market space.
Peter Patomella, Vice President, CEM and OSS, Nokia Networks, said:
“The size of the optimisation and SON market is expected to exceed 5 billion Euros globally by 2018. With our combination of capabilities, we will effectively address a key customer pain point: efficient optimisation of heterogeneous networks in a multivendor environment. By combining our products, we will accelerate the delivery of a compelling solution that offers powerful automated network optimisation capabilities that achieve best-in-class performance and customer experience.”
On his part, Charles Immendorf, CEO, Eden Rock, said:
“A massive appetite exists among operators for a proven SON solution with disruptive technologies, open framework and carrier-class capabilities. Via this acquisition, Nokia Networks brings complementary SON functionality, a renowned reputation for wireless excellence and an ascending market presence to Eden-NET. We welcome the opportunity to work with Nokia and together aim to establish an insurmountable lead within the global SON space.”
As a part of this acquisition process, Eden Rock will spin-off a new company with its spectrum sharing solutions, technology and patents. Developed in conjunction with several government programs, these technologies enable LTE networks to coexist in the same spectrum with government communications systems, radar systems, and/or external mobile networks.
An additional announcement will follow on this new company at the close of the transaction with Nokia Networks.