What Virtual Access does

Virtual Access (now operating as Westermo Ireland) is a Dublin-based designer and manufacturer of rugged industrial routers and associated network management software, founded in 1996 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sweden's Westermo Network Technologies AB following its October 2019 acquisition. The company sells hardware product lines including GW1000M, GW1150, GW1450 5G, GW2300, GW3300, GW6650V, GW7000, and other GW-series routers designed for harsh environments such as substations, roadside cabinets, vehicles, and remote telemetry sites. These devices support connectivity spanning legacy TDM/ISDN, serial, DSL, 3G/4G/LTE, 5G, LTE-M450, and Ethernet, alongside proprietary protocol conversion for SCADA standards (IEC101, Modbus, DNP3, IEC104).

The company's revenue model combines hardware sales (industrial router units) with subscription-style recurring revenue from its Activator automated provisioning and management platform, supplemented by professional services for legacy TDM-to-IP migration projects. Go-to-market relies on a hybrid model of direct enterprise sales (regional sales directors in Ireland, Nordics, and the Baltics) and a multi-region channel partner network spanning Iberia (Belsati, Ormazabal), DACH (Kapsch), France (FirstWAN working with Orange), the Nordics (DCG), Portugal (Qenergie), Southeast Asia (N'osairis), and North America (DataRemote via AT&T). Marketing is heavily event-driven with regular participation in European Utility Week, Distributech, Critical Communications World, and Telia IoT symposia.

Customer base is concentrated in tier-1 European and APAC telecom operators (BT, Deutsche Telekom, NTT, Telstra, Telia, KPN, Proximus, SingTel, Telkomsel), utilities and DSOs (Alliander, TNB, EDP, Energie AG, and unnamed European power and water utilities), emergency services (German Federal Police), and financial transaction operators (BT Redcare covering 4,000 ATM sites). The 2023 rebrand to Westermo Ireland consolidated the entity under the parent's brand while preserving the Virtual Access product identity for reseller and partner continuity. Pricing is custom quote-based on multi-year enterprise contracts, with no public price list disclosed.

Name

Virtual Access

Legal name

Virtual Access Limited

Website

https://virtualaccess.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Networking Equipment

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/OT Private Connectivity (Factory, Mining, Ports) (HDAIAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Network Redundancy & Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN/PRP/HSR/ERPS) (HDAFAJAH), Network Resilience & High Availability Services (Redundancy, Failover) (BPAEAEAL)

Keywords

• Industrial routers
• Legacy network migration
• Substation connectivity
• M2M industrial gateways
• Network provisioning software

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Router Hardware Sales: Sale of rugged routers and gateways for industrial, substation, vehicle, and business applications. Product lines include GW1000M, GW1150, GW1450 5G, GW2300, GW3300, GW6650V, and GW7000 series routers with various connectivity options.
2. Network Management Software and Services: Activator provisioning and management system sold as part of solution packages. Provides automated deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of deployed routers across large-scale networks.
3. Legacy Migration Solutions: Professional services and products for migrating legacy telecommunications infrastructure (ISDN, leased lines, ATM, X.25) to IP networks. Includes technical migration with minimal disruption to end customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Virtual Access designs, manufactures, and sells rugged industrial routers and gateways (GW1000M, GW1150, GW1450 5G, GW2300, GW3300, GW6650V, GW7000, GW9000 and related series) with multi-path failover for harsh-environment critical infrastructure. It also delivers the Activator telco-grade automated provisioning and monitoring platform, Monitor centralized monitoring, and legacy TDM-to-IP migration solutions (ISDN, leased lines, ATM, Frame Relay, X.25, dial RAS) for telecommunications operators, utilities, emergency services, financial institutions, and transportation authorities.

Product overview

Virtual Access offers a comprehensive portfolio of rugged industrial routers and network management solutions. The core offering includes multiple router series (GW1000M, GW1150, GW1450 5G, GW2300, GW3300, GW6650V, GW7000) designed for industrial, substation, emergency services, and automotive applications. These devices provide wired and wireless managed connectivity supporting technologies from legacy TDM/ISDN through to 5G and LTE-M450. The Activator platform enables automated provisioning and deployment of tens of thousands of devices at scale, while Monitor provides centralized monitoring. Legacy Migration Solutions support transition from older infrastructure (ISDN, leased lines, ATM, Frame Relay, X.25) to modern IP networks. The portfolio serves telecommunications operators, utilities, emergency services, financial institutions, and transportation authorities worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Activator: Automated provisioning system for all Virtual Access routers, designed to streamline the rollout and maintenance of managed and semi-managed network services.

Products and services

• GW1000M Series Industrial IoT Router Industrial-grade router designed for IoT and M2M applications with ruggedized construction for harsh environments.
• GW1150 Series Industrial Router Industrial router with advanced connectivity options for demanding applications.
• GW1450 Series 5G Router 5G-enabled industrial router for high-speed connectivity in industrial and substation environments.
• GW2300 Series Industrial Router Industrial router series designed for rugged environments and critical applications.
• GW3300 Series Rugged Vehicle Router Rugged dual LTE radio routers for emergency services and vehicle applications, with multipath fast switch-over, WiFi, GPS, and automotive power conditioning.
• GW6650V Series Business Router Resilient, secure dual path router for managed business connectivity, financial, M2M and retail applications with multi-service, multi-WAN configurations including ATM pseudowire, serial, leased line, E1/T1, dual ADSL, dual radio, MLPPP bonding and Audio-over-IP.
• GW7000 Series Multi-WAN Router Multiple WAN router series supporting legacy migration and connectivity requirements including async and sync serial pseudowire migration (X.21, V.35, V.24, RS232, V.36) and E1/T1/ATM pseudowire migration.
• GW1100 Series Automotive WiFi Wireless Router 3G/4G wireless router with optional WiFi for automotive and fleet applications such as IP-CCTV, telemetry, fleet tracking, passenger WiFi and mobile digital signage.
• Industrial Routers Family (GW6600, GW7600, GW7950, GW2028, GW7314, GW9000) Rugged routers and gateways with isolated interfaces, IEC 61850-3 compliance, DIN rail mounting, dual SIM, 3G/LTE/5G, DSL, Fibre, 2-8 Ethernet ports, serial/digital I/O and protocol conversion (IEC101, Modbus, DNP3, IEC104) for substation, roadside, M2M and industrial telemetry use cases.
• Activator Provisioning and Network Management Platform Telco-grade automated provisioning and monitoring system designed to streamline rollout and maintenance of managed and semi-managed network services via zero-touch deployment for tens of thousands of routers.
• Monitor Centralized Network Monitoring Centralized monitoring providing real-time status, email alerting, network utilization statistics, and diagnostic information across deployed networks.
• Legacy Migration Solutions Migration solutions supporting transition of older TDM-based infrastructure (ISDN, leased lines, ATM, Frame Relay, X.25, dial-up RAS, Serial, Digital and Analogue I/O) onto modern IP and Ethernet networks with minimal disruption to end customers.
• AOS RAS Remote Access Server Dial-up Remote Access Server replacement for legacy Cisco AS5300/AS5400/AS5350 and MAX TNT with SIP trunking, FastSync-based clock synchronisation, and 10+ years of guaranteed support.
• LTE-M450 Support for Substation and IoT Gateways Substation and IoT gateway firmware/capability support for LTE-M450 connectivity, with zero-touch deployment and IEC 62351 compliant security, targeted at utility applications requiring connectivity in areas with poor standard LTE coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Deployment scale of tens of thousands of devices managed with minimal overhead
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, regional and strategic.

• Westermo Network Technologies ABcoreOthers · 31 October 2019Virtual Access was acquired by Westermo Network Technologies AB on October 31, 2019. Westermo is a Swedish company that develops, manufactures, and sells industrial data communication products and services for mission-critical systems in transportation, power distribution, and water/wastewater. Westermo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ependion AB (formerly Beijer Electronics Group AB), listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
• PNDC (Power Networks Demonstration Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2019Associate member of PNDC, a dedicated power systems research test and demonstration centre designed to accelerate energy network research and reduce time to implementation for new technologies. PNDC connects academic, industrial, and energy network innovation across smart grid spectrum.
• BelsatiregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 February 2016Strategic partner for the Spanish market based in Barcelona. Solution experts for utilities and infrastructure industry with over a decade of experience distributing industrial automation equipment. Belsati extends Virtual Access service offering throughout the Spanish market for critical application sectors including infrastructure, utilities, finance, and transportation.
• TechBridge International (TBI)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 April 2015Partnership at Utility Week Live for customer-controlled design and deployment of evolving networks while avoiding traditional forklift migrations. TBI specializes in extending life-cycle of current network investments while Virtual Access provides automated connectivity solutions scalable to tens of thousands of devices.
• N'osairisregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 July 2013Asian-Pacific strategic partner based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Solution experts for banking, retail, telecommunications, and global infrastructure operations. Operating in Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Singapore. Partner since 2013, jointly exhibiting at Asia IoT Business Platform conferences.
• Telia/TeliaSonerastrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerM2M partnership program member and silver sponsor of Telia IoT Living Connections Symposium. Working together on M2M/IoT solutions with shared customers in Nordic region. Telia Company uses Virtual Access TLC-ISDN technology for broadcast services at major sporting events including UEFA European League Final.
• DCG (Data Communication Group)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNordic distribution partner rolling out Activator provisioning and management system for business-critical retail services in the Scandinavian region.
• OrmazabalregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish partner for deployment of substation routers in European DSOs and TSOs at secondary and primary substations. Part of distribution network for utilities sector.
• KapschregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian partner for deployment of substation routers in European DSOs and TSOs. Part of distribution network for utilities sector.
• QenergieregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPortuguese partner for deployment of substation routers in European DSOs and TSOs. Part of distribution network for utilities sector.
• FirstWANregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench partner working with Orange (OBS) to deploy Activator, industrial routers, and AOS RAS for legacy business services supporting thousands of OBS customers.
• DataRemoteregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS partner exhibiting Virtual Access products on AT&T booth at Distributech conference, focusing on challenges and opportunities for utility companies including Legacy Migration, Critical Infrastructure Connectivity, and IPv6 Cybersecurity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sierra Wireless (Semtech): Cellular IoT and M2M routers/gateways serving industrial, energy, and transportation customers. Directly competes with Virtual Access in cellular-enabled industrial routers and management platforms.
• Digi International: Manufacturer of cellular routers, gateways, and management software (Digi Remote Manager) for industrial IoT, utilities, and transportation. Strong overlap with Virtual Access's router portfolio and Activator-like central management offering.
• Peplink (Pepwave): Multi-WAN, SD-WAN, and rugged cellular routers with InControl cloud management — comparable in multi-path failover and central provisioning capabilities, serving similar enterprise/industrial customers.
• Cradlepoint (Ericsson): Leading provider of rugged 4G/5G wireless edge routers for enterprise, vehicle, and IoT applications. Closely comparable product portfolio and customer base, including utilities, public safety, and transportation.
• MultiTech Systems: Long-standing manufacturer of industrial M2M and IoT routers/gateways used in utilities, asset monitoring, and remote telemetry — directly comparable ruggedized cellular router portfolio.

Emerging players

• Robustel: Industrial 4G/5G router vendor with RCMS cloud management, targeting energy, transportation, and industrial IoT. Comparable offering scale with similar utility/transportation customer focus.
• InHand Networks: Industrial IoT routers and edge gateways with InHand Device Manager cloud platform — competing in substation, energy, and transportation verticals with similar ruggedized cellular products.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens (Ruggedcom): Ruggedcom portfolio provides substation-hardened networking for power utilities — directly comparable in IEC 61850/62351-compliant substation communications and a key incumbent in Virtual Access's core utility vertical.
• Cisco (IoT/Industrial Networking): Broad incumbent offering industrial routers (Catalyst IR, Cisco IoT) and utilities/grid networking solutions. Overlaps with Virtual Access in utility substation and critical infrastructure connectivity at much larger scale.
• Westermo Network Technologies: Parent company and sister brand focused on industrial data communications for transportation, power, and water/wastewater. Overlaps substantially with Virtual Access's product portfolio under the same corporate umbrella.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/virtualaccess
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/23017

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Virtual Access