What you need to know
- Microsoft has acquired Affirmed Networks, a company that specializes in cloud-based mobile network solutions.
- The acquisition will help Microsoft work with telecommunication companies with 5G.
- Microsoft believes that cloud computing platforms like Azure will play a large role in 5G.
Microsoft announced the acquisition of Affirmed Networks today. The move will help Microsoft work with telecommunication companies as companies build and manage 5G networks. Microsoft did not close the amount that it acquired Affirmed Networks for. Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Azure Networking, Yousef Khalidi, explains the deal in a new blog post.
In that post, Khalidi explains how Affirmed Networks fits in with Microsoft's upcoming plans:
We look forward to building on the great work by Affirmed Networks with its leadership in virtualized mobile networks. Bringing this technology and team of experts into Microsoft allows us to extend our cloud offering to operators everywhere as they increasingly look to run their networks in a hybrid environment. We're excited about our future together where carriers will be able to better leverage Microsoft's cloud to improve overall profitability and create new revenue streams.
Khalidi also explains how the acquisition will help Microsoft work with telecommunication companies:
This acquisition will allow us to evolve our work with the telecommunications industry, building on our secure and trusted cloud platform for operators. With Affirmed Networks, we will be able to offer new and innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of operators, including managing their network workloads in the cloud.
Previous generations of wireless networks were based on purpose-built hardware, as pointed out by Khalidi. Microsoft believes that cloud computing platforms, including Azure, can make 5G networks run quickly, efficiently, and securely.
