- Microsoft announced it is buying Affirmed Networks — which is a company that specializes in software for mobile carriers
Microsoft announced it is buying Affirmed Networks — which is a company that specializes in software for mobile carriers, according to CNBC. Affirmed is known for providing a way for carriers to grow networks in order to meet heavy data demands by tapping into cloud infrastructures. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
But John Vrionis of Unusual Ventures wrote in a tweet that it was a “unicorn acquisition.” This indicates that Microsoft spent over $1 billion buying the company.
Affirmed was founded in Acton, Massachusetts in 2010 and now has hundreds of employees. This acquisition could help Microsoft improve its Azure public cloud business, which lags behind Amazon Web Services.
“Previous generations of wireless networks have been based on purpose-built hardware. We believe that with innovation in software and by making use of broadly available cloud computing platforms like Microsoft Azure, operators can deploy and maintain 5G networks and services more efficiently, more cost-effectively, more rapidly and more securely,” wrote Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Azure Networking Yousef Khalidi in a blog post.
Some of Affirmed’s customers include AT&T, Orange, SoftBank, and Vodafone. Prior to the acquisition, Affirmed raised about $155 million in funding. Earlier this month, Affirmed Networks announced new president and CEO Anand Krishnamurthy is succeeding Hassan Ahmed. Ahmed is now retiring.
