Pragmatic Open RAN: Mavenir acquires ip.access for 2G/3G and enterprise tech

Mavenir recently announced the acquisition of ip.access Ltd, a small-cell vendor founded in 2002 and focused on a range of customers and use cases (including operators, private enterprises and other "special applications" markets). The terms of the deal were not made public. Although ip.access is best known as a pioneering player in the small-cell space, Mavenir's announcement positioned the deal according to two priorities that align with its recent messaging: Open RAN and enterprise radio solutions. Ultimately, the deal is a pragmatic move honing in on operator Open RAN requirements, as well as the early Open RAN opportunities beyond operators. It does, meanwhile, raise questions around how quickly the industry is building an ecosystem of radios for Open RAN solutions.