Accenture acquires Ookla to expand network intelligence

Accenture has announced an agreement to acquire Ookla, a company known for its network intelligence and connectivity analytics platforms. The move aims to strengthen Accenture’s ability to help enterprises, telecom operators and cloud providers manage increasingly complex digital infrastructure.

The acquisition brings a portfolio of widely used connectivity tools into Accenture’s services ecosystem. These include Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau and RootMetrics. Together, they generate large volumes of network performance data that can support data-driven decision making for organisations running Wi-Fi, 5G and cloud networks.

The companies expect the combination to expand the role of network intelligence in enterprise technology strategies, particularly as artificial intelligence workloads increase the demand for reliable connectivity.

Network data moves beyond telecom

Historically, network performance data has primarily served telecom operators. That role is now expanding. Organisations across sectors are increasingly using connectivity data to support operational analytics and digital services.

The data captured at network, device and application layers can contribute to several emerging use cases:

• Fraud detection and prevention in financial services

• Smart home monitoring in utilities

• Customer traffic analytics in retail environments

Ookla’s platform records more than 1,000 attributes for each connectivity test. These attributes provide granular insight into quality of service, radio frequency signals and end-user experience.

Accenture believes these data points can help organisations build stronger digital foundations as they deploy AI-based systems and data-driven applications.

Comment

Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture, said modern networks have evolved beyond infrastructure and now operate as business platforms. Without reliable performance measurement, organisations cannot optimise user experience, security or revenue opportunities.

She noted that the acquisition is intended to help clients build trusted data foundations that support large-scale AI deployment and ensure consistent connectivity across digital services.

What Ookla brings to the deal

Headquartered in Seattle, Ookla operates several globally recognised connectivity platforms. Its services collect large volumes of user-initiated tests alongside controlled testing from drive, walk and embedded measurement systems.

The company records more than 250 million consumer-initiated tests every month. This scale of data provides insights into both network performance and user experience.

The Ookla workforce includes about 430 specialists in software engineering, radio frequency engineering and data science. Their work focuses on collecting and analysing connectivity data across global networks.

Enterprise and cloud use cases

Accenture expects the acquisition to strengthen services across three main segments: telecom operators, hyperscale cloud providers and enterprises.

For communications service providers, real-time network data can support benchmarking, predictive modelling and infrastructure investment planning. These capabilities may also help reduce operational costs through automation and improved network planning.

Cloud providers and hyperscalers are increasingly focused on network resilience as AI workloads move closer to edge datacentres. Reliable connectivity becomes essential when inference workloads operate outside centralised cloud infrastructure.

Enterprises represent a third area of focus. Organisations deploying private 5G and advanced Wi-Fi networks require specialised tools to design, manage and troubleshoot these environments. Ekahau’s hardware and software tools are intended to support those deployments.

Manish Sharma, chief strategy and services officer, Accenture, said the combination of the two companies will deliver end-to-end network intelligence services that support AI-led transformation initiatives.

According to Sharma, Speedtest and RootMetrics measure connectivity experience, Downdetector identifies service disruptions and Ekahau focuses on enterprise Wi-Fi performance.

Connectivity becomes a competitive factor

Organisations increasingly depend on consistent and low-latency connectivity across multiple digital channels. As enterprises adopt AI systems, connected devices and distributed computing environments, network reliability becomes a core operational requirement.

Connectivity data helps identify bottlenecks, detect outages and optimise network performance before disruptions affect business operations.

Stephen Bye, CEO, Ookla, said joining Accenture will expand the reach of its network data platform across large enterprises and infrastructure providers. He added that the combined capabilities aim to improve how organisations measure and manage connectivity.

Next steps

The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

If completed, the deal would integrate one of the largest connectivity measurement platforms into Accenture’s enterprise technology services portfolio. The result could reshape how organisations use network intelligence to support digital transformation and AI infrastructure.

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