| Cradlepoint | |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Location: | Boise, Idaho |
| Key People: | George Mulhern (CEO & chairman)[1] |
| Industry: | Wireless WAN |
| Num Employees: | 700 (2020)[2] |
| Parent: | Ericsson |
Cradlepoint is a Boise, Idaho-based technology company that develops cloud-managed wireless edge networking equipment.[3] The company was founded in 2006. Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson completed its acquisition of the company in November 2020.[2]
Cradlepoint was founded in 2006 in Boise, Idaho, by Pat Sewall, who later brought on co-founders Ryan Adamson and Gary Oliviero.[4] Its first products were 3G and 4G cellular routers that created Wi-Fi hotspots for mobile internet.[5] [6] One of its early customers was aerospace defense organization NORAD, which used a Cradlepoint cellular router to connect 1,500 volunteers with roughly 140,000 calls per year coming from children trying to speak with Santa Claus.[7]
In December 2015, Cradlepoint acquired Los Gatos, CA-based networking company Pertino.[8]
In August 2016, the company announced the Cradlepoint NetCloud platform, a software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) architecture for businesses to manage their wired and wireless networks.[9]
In March 2017, the company received $89 million in funding from new investor Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV).[10]
In January 2018, the company launched its NetCloud Solution subscription model, bundling its hardware and software into annual or multi-year subscriptions.[11]
In January 2020, the company introduced additional analytics capabilities to its NetCloud management platform, to help businesses manage their wireless network charges.[12] In May, the company introduced its E3000 5G compatible edge router.[13] In September, the company announced it was being acquired by Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson, but would continue to operate as Cradlepoint.[3] The purchase closed in November 2020, with the company continuing as a standalone subsidiary within Ericsson’s Business Area Technologies and New Businesses segment.[2]
Cradlepoint develops routers, gateways and software for wireless WAN edge networking, using 4G and 5G wireless signals to connect businesses and other mobile users such as remote front-line emergency workers. The company uses a subscription model that combines its cloud-delivered software as SaaS, with hardware, support and training.[5] [11]
The company's E3000 5G-compatible edge router allows satellite offices or small businesses to use a gigabit LTE cellular signal to create a Wi-Fi network using the latest IEEE 802.11ax standard, commonly known as Wi-Fi 6.[13] Modular 5G modems can be customized for compatibility with individual carriers' 5G networks.[13]
The company's NetCloud platform manages the company's 4G LTE-enabled routers and M2M/IoT gateways.[14] The platform also combines cloud, software-defined networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technologies, known as Network as a service.[9]
As of November 2020, the company said it was certifying its equipment with carriers to ensure that its 5G equipment was compatible with the different versions of the technology.[15]
The company is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, operates a research and development center in Silicon Valley, and has international offices in the UK and Australia.[5] In September 2020, the company announced it had over 20,000 customers, 1,500 channel partners, and over 1 million SaaS subscriptions.[3] The company has 700 employees as of November 2020.[2]