Access and switching equipment maker Marconi PLC plans to buy access-device vendor Mariposa Technology for US$268 million.
The deal will give Marconi integrated-access devices that sort customer traffic by priority and place it on a single link from customer sites to service-provider networks.
Mariposa's devices are ATM-based, as are Marconi switches from its previous acquisition of Fore systems. But Marconi also has some IP-based integrated access device (IAD) products, so the combination will give service providers the flexibility to choose either, depending on their needs. Marconi plans to have all the devices managed by its ForeThought software.
Marconi already had a relationship with Mariposa, reselling Mariposa's ATX-50 and ATX-150 IADs, respectively, as the Fore SE 420 and SE 440. That relationship started in May.
Future plans call for an IAD that supports DSL technology.
Marconi also makes software-based telephony switches that can switch all types of traffic on packet networks as well as transfer voice traffic to and from traditional circuit-switched phone networks.
The deal is expected to close next month.
Mariposa: www.mariposa-atm.com.
Marconi: www.marconi.com.