Ericsson acquires Cradlepoint for $1.1 billion

Wireless giant gets close to the edge through routers and subscription services.

Ericsson has acquired Boise, Idaho based Cradlepoint, which brings the wireless infrastructure giant closer to the edge. Featured in 5G is hot, keep your components and systems cool, Cradlepoint’s products connect businesses, retail outlets, IoT, first responders, fleet vehicles, and homes to LTE and 5G networks. Some of Cradlepoints customers rely in its cloud-managed subscription services. According to an Ericsson press release and investor presentation, Cradlepoint will keep its name and operate as an independent subsidiary of Ericsson.

In an email to customers, Cradlepoint CEO George Mulhern said “Your interactions with our people and processes, including our world-class support, will be unchanged. We will continue to serve you — our valued customer — in the same responsive, humble, and hungry way we have always done in the past. As an Ericsson company, the future promises many exciting innovations, but we also expect some short-term benefits. For example, our multi-national and international customers will benefit from our ability to leverage Ericsson’s platforms and presence in 180 countries around the world. But for the most part, we will continue doing what we have always tried to do: provide highly reliable and cloud-delivered WWAN solutions that you and your organization can rely on every day. The difference is we are now a stronger company with greater global reach and access to the most advanced cellular technology in the world.”

Cradlepoint currently employs about 675 people. Hopefully, that number will not shrink because of this acquisition, as so many do.