Tele2 seeks IoT security boost through Kombridge acquisition

Tele2 said it has strengthened its portfolio of security products by acquiring Stockholm-based Kombridge, a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services.

The Sweden-based operator explained Kombridge has provided IoT security services, connected device management, and application management since it was founded in 2010. Tele2 closed its acquisition this week and said it will combine the sales and technology teams of both companies to beef up its value added services for B2B application- and connectivity-management.

Rami Avidan, MD of Tele2 IoT, said the companies “have worked close to each other for a long time,” and that the operator is “very confident that our combined strengths will make us an even stronger global IoT player with high value creation for our customers and partners.”

Tele2 did not reveal financial details of the deal, but noted that the agreement covers Kombridge’s current list of customers, its product portfolio, and its six employees. The staff have “great IoT competence” and a strong track record in terms of maximising “sales and development synergies,” the operator stated.

The acquisition is the latest move by Tele2 in the IoT sector. In May, the operator announced plans to construct a long range (LoRa) IoT network in greater Gothenburg in conjunction with network specialist TalkPool. The network is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the current (third) quarter, with the goal of providing a test environment for Tele2, its customers and partners.

At the time, Avidan commented that the trial network will provide Tele2 and its partners with “the opportunity to use as many of these new technologies as possible in ways that are both simple and flexible.”

Tele2’s focus on IoT has also seen it agree partnerships with Sisteer in France, M2M and IoT specialist Hexaware, Jasper Wireless, and a cooperation agreement with Telit Communications.

The operator detailed its plan to beef up its security services days after Machina Research claimed that current IoT security concerns are overplayed because the market is set to remain restricted to controlled settings for the next decade.

For more:
- see this Tele2 announcement

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