Financial details of the deal were not provided, although several sources indicate that the fee is around US$300 million.
In November, Qualcomm invested in Cellwize during the start-ups latest funding round, now the acquisition will allow it to deliver of a range of enhanced capabilities.
As Open RAN gathers pace, the American company said the acquisition will allow it to “accelerate Open RAN adoption, 5G private network deployments and cloud-based cellular infrastructure innovation”.
Alongside that, it is anticipated that it will go some way in fuelling its own digital transformation.
“Global mobile operators and private enterprises are deploying 5G networks at an unprecedented pace across industries with the goal of connecting everyone and everything to the cloud,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager for cellular modems and infrastructure at Qualcomm Technologies.
“The addition of Cellwize’s best-in-class RAN automation technologies strengthens Qualcomm Technologies’ ability to drive the development of the modern 5G network.”
As a result of the acquisition, Cellwize CEO Ofir Zemer will now assume the role of Qualcomm’s vice president of product management.
“We are excited to join Qualcomm Technologies as we are both committed to accelerate the mission to modernize Radio Access Networks and enable mobile network operators and enterprises to fully realize and monetise their digital transformation,” Zemer said.
Cellwize was founded in 2012 and is the developer of Chime, a cloud-based and AI-driven radio access network and orchestration platform.
It is expected that the acquisition will also help Qualcomm to deploy flexible RAN architecture solutions and multigenerational support.
