Oxford, UK — This month Cisco completed its $310m acquisition of Intralink client Ubiquisys which develops technologies to help improve connectivity on mobile data networks. The acquisition was driven both by Ubiquisys’s market-leading technology and by its global customer base spanning North America, Europe and Asia.
In fact Asia was its first port of call when it tasked leading Asia market specialists Intralink with securing the world’s first ever femtocell deployment. This was achieved through a deal with mobile network operator Softbank in Japan in 2010, and on the back of this Ubiquisys went on to secure some of the biggest names in the telecoms world including Google, T-Mobile and SFR. Richard Staveley, VP Sales for Ubiquisys, said, "We are delighted to have achieved a successful exit. One of the key factors behind this was the traction we gained in Asia through the support of Intralink. At a time when we were still looking for our first global customers, they provided us with an immediate and low-risk way to establish a physical presence in Japan, which included a bilingual business development team with the experience, relationships and drive that are essential to securing these types of deals. Building a business in Asia was important for positioning Ubiquisys as a truly global company and we look forward to the next stage in our journey as part of the world's largest networking equipment company." In recent years a number of other Intralink clients have achieved successful exits, in part on the back of traction in the APAC region. These have included Arieso (mobile network optimization) which was acquired by JDSU, Innovision (RFID chipsets) acquired by Broadcom, and Intelliden (network device configuration) which was acquired by IBM. Increasingly investors are seeing a presence in Asia, and in particular the key Northeast Asia markets of China, Japan and Korea, as vital to building value and securing a successful exit. Intralink’s Vice President of Asia, Jeremy Shaw, commented, “The Ubiquisys deal is one of the biggest exits in Europe in the last few years and represents a major result for Ubiquisys and its investors. The message is clear: no matter what sector you are in, if you are looking to maximize shareholder value, Asia has to be part of your strategy, not only because of the many global players based in the region, but because of the sheer size and growth of the increasingly sophisticated consumer base.”
About Intralink Intralink develops and implements strategies for technology companies targeting the key Asian markets of China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Through its signature Surrogate Sales Program™, Intralink provides its clients with a low risk, cost effective and practical means to generate new and incremental revenues in these markets as an underpin towards establishing a permanent presence. Founded in 1990, the company is headquartered in the UK and has offices in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei. For more information contact Alex Gover, Director Business Development, alex.gover@intralink-uk.com.
About Ubiquisys Ubiquisys is a leader in intelligent multi-mode LTE-HSPA-WiFi small cells with products deployed by operators around the world. The Ubiquisys difference is intelligence: high-availability small cells that continuously adapt to their surroundings and dynamically interact with their neighbours. Operators benefit from macro-level KPIs, low operating costs and efficient use of spectrum assets, whilst mobile users experience dependable voice and high speed data services. The Ubiquisys small cell range includes public-access hotspots, self-organising networks for enterprise, and modular residential small cells designed for home device integration.
Ubiquisys was acquired by Cisco in May 2013