Making its first major acquisition, Metaswitch Networks said it will acquire AppTrigger, a provider of service brokers to carriers. The acquisition marks another step in Metaswitch’s strategy to become a major player in the carrier softswitch and IP applications platforms markets.
A software element that sits between the control layer and the service layer of carrier networks, a service broker enables operators to manage services and applications across a range of legacy and next-generation networks and platforms. With its Ignite product, AppTrigger has forged a position as one of the leaders in the service broker market.
“We work with service provider customers all the time who are trying to get to an IP infrastructure, but they really need help with the journey,” said AppTrigger senior vice president for global sales and marketing Patrick Fitzgerald, in a phone interview. “They need to connect any app to any network. We’re about enabling customers to connect large-scale voice-centric apps into the IP network in a way that allows them to manage their capex dollars.”
AppTrigger’s service broker capabilities will allow Metaswitch to help its carrier customers accelerate their migration to all-IP environments, added Andy Randall, senior VP of marketing and business development at Metaswitch.
“AppTrigger really pioneered this space – they were out there evangelizing the service broker concept three or four years ago, when the carriers didn’t yet realize they needed it.”
The AppTrigger acquisition follows two other recent purchases in the service broker space. OSS/BSS provider Amdocs said last October that it would acquire jNetX for $50 million. And last month Oracle Corp. said it was buying Convergin, enabling "customers with next-generation solutions to address network migration to an all-IP core, significantly reducing integration and hardware costs," Oracle said in a statement.
The terms of the Metaswitch-AppTrigger purchase were not disclosed. Founded in 2002, AppTrigger is based in Richardson, Texas and has around 30 employees.
