Ericsson’s Cradlepoint Plays a Unique Role in the Enterprise Mobility Ecosystem

Kathryn Weldon – Research Director, Business Network and IT Services – Americas

Summary Bullets:

• When Ericsson acquired Cradlepoint in 2020, the latter was focused on enterprise wireless WAN equipment, which was considered an emerging business for the network infrastructure vendor.

• Now Cradlepoint is at the heart of Ericsson’s enterprise strategy, bringing diverse channel partners and new products with which to flesh out offerings to meet a growing demand for wireless connectivity.

When Ericsson acquired Cradlepoint in 2020 for approximately $1 billion, the latter vendor specialized in wireless WAN solutions. It offered 4G/5G mobile and fixed site cellular routers and adapters, vehicle and IoT routers, and network management software available via a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform, featuring zero-touch onboarding. At the time, it had approximately one million subscriptions among US and global enterprises, SMBs, and public sector businesses. Cradlepoint was initially part of the Ericsson Business Area Technologies & New Businesses business unit and sold its products indirectly to businesses through a diverse channel of 1,500 system integrators, CSPs, and resellers, augmenting Ericsson’s traditional channel (and primary customer base) that had long been dominated by CSPs.