CTS 142: Jussi Kiviniemi Discusses the Ekahau Acquisition

Ookla, makers behind Speedtest.net, have acquired Ekahau.
Ooklahau
Announced October 10th, 2018 Ookla has acquired Ekahau. The makers behind Speedtest.net are getting their hands into the Wi-Fi world by acquiring the maker of Wi-Fi validation tools. It’s a headscratcher of an acquisition. Speedtest.net is Ookla’s flagship product. It’s used by many people around the world. So why an interest in Ekahau, a maker of Wi-Fi validation software and tools?
My first guess is Ookla sees the future of Wi-Fi. They could build their own set of “speedtest” tools for Wi-Fi networks with the help of Ekahau. In return, this provides Ekahau with more resources to put towards Ekahau Site Survey and the Sidekick. It’s a way to further development.
It’s only natural to have reservations when the company in which you use their tools so often gets acquired by someone else. We just don’t want to see our favorite products fall by the wayside.
As I discuss with Jussi Kiviniemi, that’s not the case. They will continue to operate as normal. Their plans for Ekahau Site Survey development are still on schedule, they continue to work on the Sidekick, and continue to work on other projects.
What was evident here was the culture match between Ookla and Ekahau. Jussi Kiviniemi speaks strongly of this and is one of the major decision makers for the approval of the acquisition.
Listen in on what Jussi has to say about the acquisition as we have breakfast at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto.