Mitel to Acquire Polycom

[bluewhite4]

Mitel Networks of Canada said on Friday that it had agreed to buy Polycom, a telecommunications and video conferencing equipment provider, ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/business/dealbook/mitel-networks-agrees-to-buy-polycom-for-1-8-billion.html?_r=0

[ralph]

I'm not sure if I'm excited or worried.
Time will tell.

Ralph

[bluewhite4]

It's an interesting move I think. They have talked about market consolidation for some time, especially a year or so ago with the proposals to ShoreTel.

I can't help but wonder if the proliferation of SIP phones, with Polycom seeming to be one of the largest in NA, hasn't put pressure on Mitel and this was part of their solution.

[acejavelin]

Mitel has already purchased Aastra, a leader in SIP devices outside of the Americas... buying Polycom, which is a market leader in SIP and conference devices in the Americas and Russia, is only a natural progression.

Like it or not, SIP is the foreseeable platform for the near future (10-15 years at least) of the telecommunications industry... we are already seeing significant enhancement in SIP device capabilities in the various Mitel platforms, and that will continue for some time.

I am excited... Mitel has always been a significant market leader in hospitality and a few niche markets, but in general IP/PBX and UC Collaboration sales Mitel is a pretty distant 4th behind Cisco, Avaya, and Microsoft worldwide, with Shoretel and NEC nipping at their heels. The acquisition broadens their market-base, and most corporate people know and trust Polycom, 98% every conference room I see has a Polycom phone in it.

I see this acquisition as a win... unless Mitel decided to do something totally stupid like dissolve Polycom, I don't see how this could be a bad thing.