Cisco acquires Navini Networks
ConvergenceAsia staff
24/10/2007

Cisco Systems, a global supplier of networking equipment and network management for the Internet, has announced a definitive agreement to purchase Richardson, Texas-based Navini Networks.

Navini, a leader in the Mobile WiMAX 802.16e-2005 broadband wireless industry, is a pioneer in the integration of "Smart Beamforming" technologies with Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) antennas, a combination that improves the performance and range for WiMAX services and lowers the overall deployment and operational costs for service providers.

Navini's WiMAX products will extend Cisco's WiFi and WiFi-Mesh portfolios, allowing Cisco to address the rapidly growing markets for broadband wireless services.

The acquisition of Navini will help extend and enhance Cisco's IP Next Generation Network (IP NGN) vision to enable service providers to deliver any service to any device over any network. The addition of broadband wireless products based upon WiMAX will complement existing Cisco products and solutions to enable service providers to deliver premium end-to-end Connected Experiences.

Cisco also expects that its broadband wireless solution portfolio, that now includes WiMAX products, will play a key role in Cisco's Country Transformation and "Digital Inclusion" initiatives to drive broadband penetration to consumers and business in emerging countries.

Emerging country service providers are in expansion mode, building out broadband wireless networks and are concerned about deployment costs and the availability of skilled resources, said Brett Galloway, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Networking Business Unit, Cisco.

"Around the world broadband wireless networks based upon WiMAX have the potential to add millions of new Internet users who cannot be reached economically using copper or fiber infrastructures. Additionally, WiMAX networks will help drive the transition to open IP-based broadband wireless architectures and accelerate the rollout of new applications and services," he said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately US$330 million in cash and assumed options. The Navini acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco's 2008 fiscal year.

Upon the close of the acquisition, Cisco plans to integrate Navini into its Wireless Networking Business Unit, under the Ethernet and Wireless Technology Group.

advertisement