Belkin Completes Linksys Acquistition, To Market Linksys Independantly
Belkin completed its acquisition of Linksys on Friday and will keep the longtime home networking company’s brand, products and support channels.
Cisco Systems agreed to sell Linksys to privately held Belkin in January for an undisclosed price. The move continued a shift by Cisco away from consumer products and toward large architectures for enterprises and service providers.
Belkin will maintain both its own brand and the Linksys brand into the future, according to Mathieu Whelan, a Linksys marketing manager who now works for Belkin.
“Linksys has a rich heritage, a passionate customer base and a wide product line, all of which fueled our decision to acquire the company and our plan to maintain the Linksys brand,” said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin. “The Linksys portfolio will continue to exist and evolve to include even richer user experiences and network management functionality. Smart Wi-Fi is an innovative and easy way for consumers to stay connected to their home network and we look to continue investing in it by adding more features and products.”
Belkin, which is based in Playa Vista, California, will also be acquiring the Linksys headquarters in Irvine, about 50 miles away. The companies declined to discuss the future roles of top Linksys executives at Belkin.
“This acquisition will help us realize our vision as being the global leader in the connected home market,” said Mike Chen, Belkin’s senior director of networking. “Linksys is a premium brand, due primarily to its dependability, reliability, and proven quality. It will be marketed for use in the home and in the small business environment.”
[toggle title=”Press Release”]Belkin Completes Acquisition of Linksys
PLAYA VISTA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Belkin today announced the completion of its acquisition of Linksys. Linksys’ technologies, including its routers and the popular and innovative Smart Wi-Fi portfolio and services, will be managed and maintained as a separate brand and product portfolio.
“Linksys has a rich heritage, a passionate customer base and a wide product line, all of which fueled our decision to acquire the company and our plan to maintain the Linksys brand,” said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin. “The Linksys portfolio will continue to exist and evolve to include even richer user experiences and network management functionality. Smart Wi-Fi is an innovative and easy way for consumers to stay connected to their home network and we look to continue investing in it by adding more features and products.”
Linksys customers and retailers will continue to see new Linksys products come to market in the near future, starting with several announcements in the spring time frame. By maintaining the Belkin and Linksys brands in home networking, Belkin aims to address a broader range of consumers with distinct networking solutions and will create the premier ecosystem for mobile devices and smart homes.
Support for Linksys products remains available through the existing Linksys support channels. For service, Linksys customers should go to the support page on the Linksys website. All valid warranties will be honored for current and future Linksys products.
“A lot of exciting things are happening in today’s connected lifestyle segment, and we are honored to continue the Linksys brand and enable new connected experiences,” added Pipkin. “Linksys and Belkin are now one team. We are ready to do fantastic things as a team and deliver products that delight consumers and support the increasingly connected, mobile world.”[/toggle]
[Via Engadget]
