Nokia has made an announcement that it will be acquiring Unium, a company based out of Seattle that specializes in optimizing Wi-Fi speed through intelligent mesh networking technology. This takeover is supposed to close by the first quarter.
“The home networking market is booming and whole-home WiFi is a key enabler for this,” Federico Guillén, president of Nokia’s Fixed Networks business group, said in a statement. “Today’s WiFi solutions still have serious issues with sticky clients, interference, coverage gaps and capacity issues. With Unium inside, our Nokia WiFi solution will deliver an unmatched user experience, going beyond what standard mesh WiFi solutions deliver today.”
The acquisition is intended with the purpose of supporting Nokia’s tactical objective of solving Wi-Fi problems at home. Unium’s mesh technology will capitalize on in-home wireless networking speed and ensure a qualitative experience across the home. This technology is already tested in applications where high availability, performance, and resilience are an absolute must.
According to Nokia, Unium’s software gives intelligent mesh, band steering, fast roaming, and a range of Wi-Fi or Ethernet backhaul. The software measures wireless performance in real time and actively adjusts the network to improve the user’s coverage and capacity. The software can also identify the specific capability and performance of each device so that it can make the most out of each connection and offer a customized customer experience.
Unium CEO Martha Bejar wrote about the deal in a LinkedIn post Sunday: “I could not be more proud of the Unium team! Our Seattle based company has developed a Wi-Fi solution like no other in the market today! It is simple, powerful, and revolutionary! Our CTO, Riley Eller, lead this effort with the engineering team to deliver exceptional utility to Wi-Fi networks. Nokia is a global leader in creating customer-centric solutions and is at the heart of our connected world. Nokia is focused at driving a unique and innovative customer experience – making every customer-touch better. The Unium family is very excited to join Nokia – an outstanding company! Congratulations to both Unium and Nokia!”
Unium was formed in 2002 to help improve dead Wi-Fi spots at home through a secure mesh network while also recommending optimal locations for devices. Last year, the company raised $3.3 million and employed 21 people. To date, the company has raised more than $60 million.
Unium’s technology functions across various wireless chipsets, processors, and operating systems.
