Fast moving Kerry-based maritime communications player Altobridge has acquired ADC’s portfolio of GSM base station and switching products for an undisclosed sum.
The ADC GSM base station and switching product portfolio supports demanding applications such as remote wireless and small national networks, as well as government, emergency and private network communications.
These products will complement Tralee-headquartered Altobridge’s innovations in several markets, including its Fully Managed Service business for meeting the growing communication needs of emerging markets, and solutions for optimising voice and data transmission for mobile network operators (MNOs).
As part of the transaction, Altobridge is acquiring ADC’s existing GSM base station and switching product customer base and retaining all of the employees necessary to support the business. In addition, Altobridge is acquiring certain assets and intellectual property related to the product portfolio.
“The sale of our GSM base station and switching technology to Altobridge is a positive development for our respective customers, employees, shareowners and companies,” said Dick Parran, president of Network Solutions business unit for ADC.
“ADC maintains a strong commitment to expanding our leadership position in providing in-building and outdoor wireless solutions that are increasingly essential in meeting the coverage and capacity challenges of 3G and 4G networks, while Altobridge is well positioned to build on the strong foundation established by both companies in the remote and specialty network market.”
The Altobridge patented Split Architecture and Local Connectivity platforms, which are combined within the Remote Community Solution, cut backhaul costs to and from base station sites as well as providing local call switching.
These solutions have been successfully tested and deployed across the world’s wireless telecommunications networks as well as in the following vertical markets: Remote Community/Enterprise, Aeronautical, Maritime, Secure and Emergency/First Responder wireless communication.
Altobridge licenses its software to the world’s leading wireless telecommunications vendors and can also provide fully managed services to Mobile Network Operators.
Wireless operator clients include: Maxis in Malaysia (Remote Community), Mobicom in Mongolia (Remote Community), AeroMobile (Aeronautical GSM), Blue Ocean Wireless (Maritime GSM). Vendor clients include: Ericsson (Local Connectivity).
“Mobile network operators face a major challenge to deliver accelerating voice and data traffic for declining returns. Altobridge will continue to innovate and deliver further solutions that drive down these underlying communication costs,” said Mike Fitzgerald, CEO of Altobridge.
“This acquisition will enable Altobridge to broaden our intellectual property portfolio and grow our Fully Managed Service business as we work hand in hand with MNOs striving to connect their subscriber groups at lower costs,” Fitzgerald said.
By John Kennedy
