Germany's Adva Optical Networking SE (DAX: ADV) has acquired LTE technologies developer Biran High Tech Advisors Ltd. for a few million dollars in shares.
Biran High Tech Advisors founder and CEO Gil Biran is a veteran of Israel's telecommunications equipment industry. He founded the company in 2008 to provide outsourcing of R&D in streamlining mobile network operations, with a focus on LTE 4G networks. Biran will head Adva Optical's Israeli operations and in his new capacity as VP business and strategic development, he will seek additional investment opportunities in Israel.
Adva Optical, founded in 1984, had €330 million in sales in 2012. It has 1,400 employees, and its interest in Israel is based on Biran's expertise in mobile backhaul solutions between mobile network antennas and the network core, and network congestion solutions. Adva Optical has also invested in Saguna Networks Ltd. as part of a $3 million financing round. This was Adva Optical's first investment in Israel.
"In the mobile infrastructures solutions field, I can find everything I want here," said Biran, citing the acquisition of Intucell Ltd. by Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) for $475 million in January. "The idea is to develop in Israel smart software solutions to help Adva survive against the Chinese communications equipment giants."
Biran and Adva Optical CTO Dr. Christoph Glingener, who was in Israel this week, believe that mobile networks will be software-rich in a few year, and will provide apps to users in the style of Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) Appstore. Glingener says that Adva Optical wants to double Biran High Tech Advisors' staff of 40 employees over the next two years.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 14, 2013
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013