Openwave Systems

What Openwave Systems does

Openwave Mobility, the operating entity associated with Openwave Systems, developed and sold mobile network software to tier-one mobile operators worldwide. Its product portfolio centered on an NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) platform supporting two principal solution lines: mobile traffic management (with a stated leadership position in encrypted and unencrypted mobile video traffic optimization) and cloud-native subscriber data management. According to acquisition disclosures, these solutions were deployed by 7 of the top 20 mobile operators globally and were built in part on technology originating from the Qosmos acquisition held by its acquirer, Enea.

The company was founded in 2001 and reconstituted in its current operating form in 2012 under the ownership of Marlin Equity Partners. It was headquartered in California with additional offices in the EMEA and APAC regions, and employed approximately 140 people at the time of acquisition. Revenue was generated through software licensing of its NFV platform and traffic and subscriber data management solutions to mobile operators on what is characterized as a recurring, subscription-style basis.

In April 2018, Openwave Mobility was acquired by Sweden-based Enea AB for USD 90 million, financed through Enea's cash on hand and a previously issued SEK 500M bond loan. The deal was described by Enea as EPS-accretive and expected to lift operating margins toward Enea's profitability target by year-end 2018, with management and founders continuing in the combined business. Preliminary adjusted revenue for 2017 was approximately USD 27M with EBIT of approximately USD 3M, implying a roughly 11% EBIT margin and a ~3.3x revenue acquisition multiple. Earlier Openwave Systems-era acquisitions (Musiwave in 2005, Cilys in 2005, and Magic4 in 2004) reflect the broader legacy portfolio before the business was refocused under Marlin's ownership.

Name

Openwave Systems

Legal name

Openwave Mobility

Website

https://openwave.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Openwave Mobility, the operating entity of Openwave Systems, provided an NFV platform for mobile traffic management and cloud-native subscriber data management to tier-one mobile operators worldwide, with deployments at 7 of the top 20 global carriers prior to its 2018 acquisition by Enea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecom Network Infrastructure Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

NFV Infrastructure (NFVI), Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) & Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNFs) (HDAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) (HDAFANAA), NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) (HDAFANAB)

Keywords

• Mobile traffic management
• NFV platform software
• Subscriber data management
• Mobile video optimization
• Network functions virtualization

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing to Mobile Operators: Openwave Mobility generated revenue through software licensing of its NFV platform and traffic management solutions to mobile operators. The company had a rapidly growing and profitable core software business with good cash flows. Preliminary adjusted revenues of approximately USD 27M in 2017.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Openwave Systems (Openwave Mobility) develops and licenses an NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) platform that enables mobile network operators to manage and monetize both encrypted and unencrypted mobile traffic, with particular strength in mobile video traffic optimization. The company also provides cloud-native subscriber data management solutions to help operators monetize subscriber data, with technology partly derived from the Qosmos acquisition.

Product overview

Openwave Mobility offers a unified NFV platform architecture combining traffic management and subscriber data management solutions. The core NFV platform serves as the foundation, with Mobile Traffic Management Solutions enabling operators to manage and monetize encrypted and unencrypted mobile video traffic, while Cloud-Native Subscriber Data Management Solutions help monetize subscriber relationships. The solutions are deployed by 7 of the top 20 mobile operators worldwide and are based in part on technology from the Qosmos acquisition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NFV Platform An NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) platform that provides mobile operators with infrastructure to deploy, scale, and orchestrate virtualized network functions for traffic management and subscriber data management.
• Mobile Traffic Management Solutions Software solutions that empower mobile operators to manage and monetize both encrypted and unencrypted traffic, with particular strength in mobile video traffic optimization for tier one operators worldwide.
• Cloud-Native Subscriber Data Management Solutions A portfolio of cloud-native solutions for subscriber data management that helps tier one mobile operators monetize their subscriber data relationships and unify subscriber context across network functions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deployed by 7 of the top 20 mobile operators worldwide

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Enea: Enea acquired Openwave Mobility in 2018 and already owned Qosmos DPI technology; Enea is a broader telecom software platform (OS, DPI, signaling) that overlaps significantly with Openwave's NFV platform.
• Ericsson: Ericsson provides end-to-end telecom infrastructure including NFV, policy, and subscriber data management as part of its broader portfolio, competing with Openwave in tier-one mobile operator deals.
• Huawei: Huawei provides end-to-end NFV platforms and telecom software including subscriber and policy management, and competes with Openwave in global tier-one operator deployments.
• Nokia: Nokia's Cloud and Network Services business offers virtualized core, subscriber data management, and traffic analytics, overlapping with Openwave's NFV and subscriber data solutions for mobile operators.
• Cisco: Cisco offers a broad networking and telecom software portfolio (including virtualized packet core, policy, and subscriber-aware solutions) that competes with Openwave at tier-one mobile operator accounts.

Direct peers

• Allot Communications: Allot provides network intelligence, traffic management, and security solutions for communication service providers, directly comparable to Openwave's NFV-based traffic management solutions.
• Openet: Openet provides subscriber data management, policy, and charging software to tier-one telecom operators globally, directly overlapping with Openwave Mobility's subscriber data management and monetization offerings.
• Sandvine: Sandvine (which acquired Procera Networks) provides network intelligence and traffic management solutions to fixed and mobile operators, competing head-to-head with Openwave's mobile traffic management portfolio.
• Procera Networks: Procera Networks (now part of Sandvine) was a direct competitor in DPI-based traffic management and policy enforcement for mobile operators prior to consolidation.

Emerging players

• Mavenir: Mavenir focuses on cloud-native network functions for mobile operators including vRAN, packet core, and subscriber data, representing an emerging competitor to Openwave's NFV platform offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openwave

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Openwave Systems