NEC has acquired Aspire Technology, a 5G network solutions provider and IT consulting firm based in Dublin, Ireland. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
This is technology M&A deal number 609 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 1,000 technology M&A deals involving MSPs, MSSPs & IT service providers listed here.
Aspire Technology, founded in 2009, has 148 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company provides technology solutions, software applications, consulting and systems integration for Tier-1 telco operators that are shifting from legacy network architectures to modern 5G systems. Additional customers include Mobile Network Operators, MSPs and technology partners. Aspire also develops nSpire, a SaaS solution for Customer Experience Management (CEM).
NEC Pursues Open RAN (Radio Access Network) Opportunities
Aspire Technology's focus aligns with NEC's focus on Open RAN (Radio Access Network) 5G -- which promotes the interoperability of open hardware, software, and interfaces for cellular wireless networks.
In a prepared statement about the deal, Naohisa Matsuda, general manager of NEC’s 5G Strategy and Business said:
"NEC has made a strong, public commitment to providing leadership in the rollout of Open RAN. Part of that commitment is building out our ability to serve as the prime system integrator for global operators as they adopt Open Networks at their own pace. The SI business is all about people and expertise. The strong capabilities and the deep pool of talented engineers at Aspire Technology, combined with their portfolio of technology solutions and applications, is a big step forward for our NEC Open Networks strategy. NEC is now better prepared than any supplier to integrate disaggregated network components into a well-tuned ecosystem."
Added Bill Walsh, Aspire Technology’s founder and CEO:
"We believe the combination of NEC and Aspire Technology will provide tremendous benefits to our customers, both legacy network-based and those evolving to the more Open environment, and also to the broader 5G and Open RAN marketplace, which is growing rapidly. We share a common vision of the 5G and Open RAN market, and a history of delivering complex integration projects with some of the largest carriers in the world. Together, we create a compelling and comprehensive 5G solutions portfolio."
NEC Invests In UCaaS and CCaaS
NEC has been making targeted financial worldwide. Another example NEC investment involves Intermedia, a provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).
