Bangalore : Bangalore-based networking company Convergent Communications India Pvt Ltd has acquired the Powertel business (product line and customers) from Citrix Software Ltd, according to Citrix Software managing director Dinesh Puri. The value of the acquisition is not known. Citrix recently bought out the Bangalore-based Powertel-Bocca (a joint venture with US-based Bocca Research which held 16 per cent equity in the company).Speaking with The Financial Express, Mr Puri who promoted Powertel prior to taking over as Citrix's India chief, said this was part of Citrix India's plan to focus extensively on the server-based computing segment and had therefore decided to hive off the Powertel business.However, all the 45 employees of the earlier Powertel have been retained as Citrix employees, he added.
Powertel (a networking and data communications products company) has three key business segments -- Netpro (modems, ISDN routers, Internet access devices, etc, under the Powertel brand), Netsol (higher-end rounters, remote access servers under the Powertel brand and high-end network integration using Lucent products) and Netserve (`RBS' billing management solution and customer management solutions for ISP's, `Netguardian'' firewall security software). The acquisition involves the business under all three segments except the Lucent products integration services.
``Convergent communication has built its business strongly around networking technologies. With the existing technical resource pool, this acquisition would enhance the company's new market plans,'' Mr Puri said. Training of Convergent staff, transfer of technology and processes had been completed, he added.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
