Accenture to Acquire Ookla to Strengthen Network Intelligence and Experience for Enterprises

Accenture has signed a deal to acquire Ookla, a leading global company in network intelligence, competitive benchmarking, and customer experience analytics. By incorporating Ookla’s data products, such as Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau, and RootMetrics, Accenture aims to help communications service providers (CSPs), hyperscalers, and enterprises optimise the critical Wi-Fi and 5G networks that support their digital infrastructure.

The company states that as AI evolves, the insights gathered from the network, device, and application levels are crucial for improving fraud prevention in banking, smart-home analytics in utilities, and traffic management in retail. Ookla’s platform, which analyses over 1,000 attributes per test, lays the groundwork for these insights.

Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture, said in a statement, “Without the ability to measure performance, organisations cannot optimise experience, revenue, or security. By acquiring Ookla, we will help our clients across business and government scale AI safely and build the trusted data foundations they need to deliver the reliable, seamless connectivity that creates value.”

Headquartered in Seattle, Ookla offers a portfolio of globally recognised connectivity brands that provide crucial technical insights across various sectors. For CSPs, their autonomous networks enhance benchmarking and capital planning through real-time data and AI-driven insights, optimising infrastructure investments and cutting operational costs. 

Hyperscalers and cloud providers benefit from these insights to ensure the resilience of their AI infrastructure and edge data centres. Moreover, enterprises use Ekahau’s specialised hardware and software to design and troubleshoot mission-critical private 5G and Wi-Fi networks effectively.

“Joining Accenture will allow us to scale our premier network data business across the world’s largest enterprises and accelerate our goal of creating better connected experiences,” said Stephen Bye, CEO, Ookla. “Our combined capabilities will enable us to more effectively serve CSPs, AI infrastructure providers, edge data centers and enterprise networks.

Currently, the acquisition is dependent on standard closing conditions, including obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. Accenture will not disclose the terms of the transaction.