Microsoft has acquired Metaswitch Networks, a provider of network management software for telecom networks. With the acquisition, the tech giant aims to further strengthen its position as a cloud specialist for telecom operators, following the acquisition of Affirmed Networks earlier this year.
Microsoft has recently been busy profiling itself as a partner for telecom operators. Especially when it comes to network technology, such as 5G, bringing it to and supporting it from a cloud-based environment. In the case of Microsoft, the public cloud environment Azure.
Earlier this year, the tech giant acquired telecom network specialist Affirmed Networks and now it is the turn of the British supplier of network software solutions Metaswitch Networks. Mainly because its portfolio of solutions is very much in line with Microsoft’s 5G strategy, the acquired technology should also contribute to Azure’s developed telecom technology, such as the recently launched Azure Edge Zones.
5G Core technology
Among other things, the British company supplies a software platform, 5G Core, that supports the networks core or backbone of the latest generation wireless networks. Based on containers and the container-orchestration platform Kubernetes, this technology can be rolled out on Azure.
Other telecom software solutions provided by Metaswitch Networks include tools that allow telecom operators to manage their on-premise infrastructure, such as network problem discovery and resolution solutions and a robocall blocker. Metaswitch Networks delivers these solutions to more than a thousand telecom operators worldwide.