In one fell swoop, Citrix gained a foothold in more than 130 mobile operators in 60 countries. The software maker announced it purchased data and video optimization solution provider Bytemobile for an undisclosed amount.

 

TechCrunch reports that following the acquisition, Bytemobile will form a new Service Provider Platforms team within Citrix as part of Citrix’s Cloud Networking group. The two firms were already partners in Bytemobile’s T1100 Traffic Director product, which helps mobile operators scale their networks using Citrix’s NetScaler app delivery mechanisms and load balancing. The combined entity, which should help Citrix move beyond its current enterprise and cloud customers and into the operator space, aims to provide operators with integrated optimization tools together with more robust reporting and analytics.

 

Yankee Group Research VP Brian Partridge comments

 

“This is a strategic acquisition for Citrix. Bytemobile is a market leader for mobile video optimization solutions that brings a sizable installed customer base.  Bringing application delivery and network optimization solutions together under the same roof is a growing trend for service providers struggling to drive profits from mobile data service plans.  Today’s mobile users are creating overwhelming traffic tonnage in the absence of corresponding revenue growth—and of course the main culprit of that growth are users watching video content on their mobiles.  As the communications business rapidly evolves from voice- to data-centric business models, operators must think differently about designing network architectures and the intelligence required on top.  Solutions that help deliver consistent quality of experience, tools for data monetization and can support the scale required to meet consumers’ insatiable demand for video services will be in high demand for years to come.  We expect significant M&A activity in these segments over the next 12 months as solution vendors ramp up for this demand.”