HPE buys Athonet to bolster its 5G offering

HPE has expanded its offering from the edge to the cloud with the acquisition of HPE Athonite, a provider of network technology including private 5G providing solutions for businesses and telecom service providers. Combined with networking offerings from HPE Telco and HPE Aruba, Athonet will put HPE at the forefront of a growth market that IDC predicts will grow to more than $1.6 billion. In the year 2026.

Headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, Athonet has over 15 years of experience providing 4G and 5G mobile solutions to customers and partners around the world. Athonet is a technology leader, awarded with more than 450 successful applications in clients from various sectors, including mobile operators, hospitals, airports, transportation ports, public services, public safety organizations and government.

Today, companies face complex communication challenges across all of their locations. To counter them, a private 5G network provides high levels of coverage, reliability, and mobility both on campus and in industrial environments, complementing existing Wi-Fi networks. The addition of Athonet technology will allow HPE to offer private networking capabilities directly to enterprises as part of HPE Aruba’s connectivity offering, while also enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to quickly deploy private 5G networks to your customers.

Private 5G provides high levels of coverage, reliability and mobility in both campus and industrial environments, complementing existing Wi-Fi networks.

“Telecom customers are looking for easier ways to deploy private 5G networks to meet high customer expectationssaid Tom Craig, global vice president and general manager, Communications Technology Group HPE. “At the same time, enterprise customers are demanding a customized 5G experience with lower latency, discrete resources, greater range, and security in both their domestic and industrial environments that complement existing wireless networks.With the acquisition of Athonet, HPE now has one of the most comprehensive private Wi-Fi and 5G offerings for enterprise and CSP customers, to be offered as a service through HPE GreenLake.

HPE expands proprietary 5G solutions for both carriers and businesses

HPE will integrate Athonet technology into existing enterprise connectivity and CSP offerings to create private networks that accelerate digital transformation from edge to cloud. This offering of network solutions will provide the following benefits:

• Improved private networks Which combines the higher Wi-Fi capacity, coverage and mobility of 5G.
• Accelerate private 5G deployments To increase speed and innovation to help B2B communications teams and corporate clients.
• New income sources for telecom companies With premium services that take advantage of both 5G and Wi-Fi.
• Alignment costs and income Through consumption-based models with HPE GreenLake, reducing the risk of entering new markets.
• Better management of operational complexity and cost efficiency With 5G (touchless) orchestration and automation, to deliver new workloads from the edge to the cloud.

With investments in 5G running into billions of dollars, telecom service providers are looking for easy ways to meet customer needs and increase new B2B revenues by deploying both edge computing and private 5G networks. The addition of Athonet software to HPE’s communications offering enhances one of the broadest communications offerings in the market, with a base of more than 300 customers in 160 countries It connects more than a billion mobile devices around the world. dependent on you Existing own 5G solutionsHPE’s new CSP offerings will support private 4G and 5G networks and include orchestration and automation capabilities at the telecom level. These capabilities will help launch new B2B services that meet growing customer expectations for the connecting party.

“Athonet was established to provide customers with proprietary 4G and 5G solutions that deliver carrier-class reliability and performance to meet their increasingly challenging connectivity needs.said Gianluca Ferrin, CEO and co-founder of Athonet. “We are excited to join HPE and bring together our highly skilled teams as we expand our joint offerings as service providers to the private 5G market, building on HPE’s strategy to be the leading provider of end-to-end solutions.. “

Private 5G provides organizations with new capabilities in networks that are ultra-secure, easy to deploy and manage, and ready for highly specialized applications such as robotics and industrial Internet of Things, corporate data networks, as well as simplifying security systems. The acquisition of Athonet strengthens HPE Aruba’s Connected Edge portfolio, providing unique capability by offering fully integrated Wi-Fi and 5G private networks. Likewise, integration with Aruba Central will allow network managers to manage private Wi-Fi and 5G through a single dashboard and take advantage of the power of artificial intelligence, workflow automation and security offered by said platform.

HPE GreenLake, HPE’s edge-to-cloud platform, will offer a private 5G Athonet solution, combining all Wi-Fi and private 5G costs into a single monthly subscription with no capital outlay. Flexible consumption options, including HPE Network as a Service, allow you to deploy private 5G networks with reduced risk, a low upfront investment, and on-demand scalability.

HPE suite integration and availability

HPE will integrate Athonet’s solutions with existing communications software assets and plans to make them available to customers sometime after the deal closes. HPE will also soon integrate Athonet into the HPE Aruba family of network solutions. The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter of HPE’s fiscal year 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.