The trend of mergers, acquisitions, and consolidation that we saw in 2017 is far from over now that we’re moving full-speed ahead into 2018. To take advantage of this transformative environment, and potentially improve their competitiveness in the UC marketplace, Polycom, a leading provider in the telecoms industry, recently announced their agreement to acquire Obihai Technology.
The decision to purchase Obihai technology, an innovator of VoIP and SIP-based solutions, was revealed on the 4th of January 2018, and it emerges as one of the many strategic moves that Polycom is likely to make in the year ahead. The company believes that the addition of Obihai’s best-in-class technology for SIP solutions will allow them to compete more aggressively in the global voice market.
What’s more, the purchase of Obihai will also mean that Polycom’s portfolio becomes broader than ever, including complementary technology that’s designed for both service providers, and customers of all shapes and sizes. The deal has yet to be fully completed, but we spoke to the experts behind Polycom to find out more about this exciting new purchase.
What Prompted the Decision to Purchase Obihai?
When it comes to gaining a competitive edge in the Unified Communications marketplace, Obihai certainly has a lot to offer. Their exceptional reputation for top-of-the-line services in SIP and VoIP make them a natural choice for many companies in search of communication innovation. As a developer of hardware and software for VoIP endpoints, Obihai seems like the perfect addition to Polycom’s portfolio, but I was interested to hear more about the acquisition from the business itself.
“Right now, the deal is still in the “agree to acquire” stage, and we’re doing a lot of joint planning in advance. I think there are several hooks for us when it comes to buying Obihai. The first is that we get an extremely talented team in SIP and VoIP, which we believe will allow us to bring a more agile handset solution to market.”
“Today’s customers need a versatile solution for their SIP strategy, so we’re constantly tuning and adapting to support the things that platform and service providers need. We believe that Obihai will help us to become more agile.”
Polycom noted that Obihai has a very fast codebase that they can take advantage of, along with a range of great handsets already in the marketplace. The new set of Obi 2000 handsets will bring to the market new abilities to connect through instead of the USB dongle too. Additionally, the Obihai solution constantly gets high marks in reviews for their usability and performance.
“They also have a cloud service called “Obitalk” which provides capabilities for provisioning, device management, and data analytics. Each of these elements is service-provider focused. Up until now, Polycom has traditionally been an enterprise-focused business with video devices and conference phones. While we moved to SMB with handsets, our Obihai purchase will allow us to fully embrace the service provider marketplace.”
What Does the Acquisition Mean for Polycom?
For Polycom, it seems that the Obihai purchase is all about making a mark in the service provider space. The brand is already a market leader when it comes to delivering services and products with incredible audio quality and exceptional interoperability in the SIP environment. With the delivery of Obihai services, Polycom could have access to a brand-new selling point.
As a company that largely goes to market through distributors and service providers, the Obihai acquisition will allow Polycom to give their partners more of a competitive edge in the increasingly saturated UC environment. After the deal has officially been completed, the company are planning on delivering more cloud-based capabilities to their portfolio.
“Obihai also have ATA (analogue terminal adapter) solutions in their portfolio which Polycom haven’t had before. This means that we can reach out to new consumers and expand into different markets. Overall, the purchase means that we can play more broadly in different spaces, with a wider portfolio that suits almost any kind of customer.”
Looking into the Future
Polycom believes that the technology, innovation, and go-to-market strategy behind Obihai are all a perfect fit for their current portfolio. With the upcoming acquisition, they feel that they can open the door to a range of new opportunities.
The strategic purchase of Obihai might not be completed yet, but if it does happen to go through without a hitch, then Polycom could be on the road to achieving an even-greater market lead when it comes to delivering top of the line SIP and VoIP solutions to their customers. With the ability to tap into a broader service provider market, the sky really is the limit for this technology giant.
According to the CEO of Polycom, Mary McDowell, the decision to buy Obihai and its team will give Polycom the additional technology resources it needs to continue pushing forward with their strategy to develop the most appealing interaction solutions on the market. Through both audio and video strategies, Polycom already has a significant foothold in the market space, and this new buy will continue to propel them towards success.
Throughout 2018 and beyond, Polycom hopes that the addition of the Obihai group to their team will allow them to instantly access new revenue streams and markets while enhancing the service portfolio that they can deliver to their customers. Ultimately, the result should be a Polycom that brings bigger and better products to their audience, faster than ever.
If all goes well, the deal is expected to officially close during the first quarter of this year.
