Sonae IM closes investment in Cellwize, leading provider in network automation and orchestration

Cellwize provides network automation and orchestration solutions for global telecom carriers and connected car OEMs; Telefónica, Axiata and Bell Canada are among its esteemed global clients

Sonae Investment Management (Sonae IM), today announced that it has concluded an equity investment in Cellwize, a global leader in mobile network automation and orchestration. This funding will accelerate Cellwize’s growth and the expansion of its technology in automation and artificial intelligence, particularly towards supporting new 5G deployments.

“Cellwize is a global technology leader and has been consistently recognized for its high quality and reliable technology by a long list of tier-1 mobile network operators (MNOs),” said Carlos Alberto Silva, executive director at Sonae IM. “Its modular and open, virtualized cloud architecture positions Cellwize as a primary vendor for mobile network operators in a world of ever-increasing network complexity.”

Cellwize provides an optimization solution that precisely orchestrates and enhances the mobile journey across all vendors and technologies. As 5G becomes a reality, bringing greater bandwidth and lower latency, more devices than ever before will be able connect to mobile networks. Currently, Cellwize’s client count includes Telefónica, Axiata or Bell, among others, providing cutting-edge solutions across several geographies in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

“At Cellwize, we understand that the industry is on the cusp of disruptive change and entering an era of intelligent connectivity where technology will think and respond for us. The next phase of automation will incorporate machine learning, making the self-driving network more intelligent, maximizing cost efficiencies and improving subscriber experience,” said Ofir Zemer, CEO of Cellwize. “Cellwize is poised to assist mobile operators in transforming existing operations, by streamlining and automating processes, to build the foundation for autonomous operations.”

As MNOs look towards the growth of their networks, handling the mounting complexity driven by heterogenous and multi-vendor networks is a challenge. Cellwize offers modular solutions for an agile adoption of ‘zero-touch’ network automation capabilities on top of a virtualized service orchestration platform.

Sonae IM joins investors Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners (DTCP), Viola Ventures, Green Apple Tech and Vintage Investment Partners in supporting Cellwize in its next growth phase.

“We are happy to count with Sonae IM as a strategic investor supporting the growth of Cellwize. Sonae IM share our vision and belief in the company’s superior technology, and we welcome them as an active investor in Cellwize” said Vicente Vento, CEO and Co-Founder of DTCP.

About Sonae IM

Sonae IM has a portfolio of more than 25 technology-based international companies dedicated to the retail, cybersecurity and telecommunications sectors. SONAE IM takes an active role in supporting its portfolio companies and has already invested more than € 120 million since 2014. For more information, please visit: www.sonaeim.com

About Cellwize

Cellwize is a leading provider of Mobile Network Automation solutions. Beginning life as a cloud-based Centralized Self-Organizing Networks (C-SON) provider, Cellwize has evolved its technology into a wider automation architecture that orchestrates ‘zero-touch’ closed-loop functionalities across a multitude of vendor and wireless technologies. Cellwize solutions are enabling the 5G journey for customers across North America, Latin America, Europe and APAC.

For more information, visit www.cellwize.com or contact info@cellwize.com, read the latest posts at http://www.cellwize.com/news and follow the company on Twitter: @cellwize.