Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Ookla, a Seattle-based company known for its global network intelligence, competitive benchmarking, and customer experience analytics. The acquisition will integrate Ookla’s widely used data products—including Speedtest®, Downdetector®, Ekahau®, and RootMetrics®—into Accenture’s portfolio.
The primary objective of the acquisition is to assist Communications Service Providers (CSPs), hyperscalers, and enterprise clients in optimizing mission-critical Wi-Fi and 5G networks that support their digital operations.
The Expanding Role of Network Data
While network data has historically been a telecom-specific asset, its applications have expanded across various sectors. With the scaling of artificial intelligence (AI), data captured at the network, device, and application levels is increasingly utilized for cross-industry applications. Examples include:
- Banking: Enhancing fraud prevention systems.
- Utilities: Improving smart home analytics.
- Retail: Optimizing customer traffic data.
Ookla’s platform, which records over 1,000 attributes per test, will serve as a foundational data source for these advanced insights.
The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals. Even though the financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed, reports say that the deal is worth USD 1.2 billion in cash.
Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture, said:
Modern networks have evolved from simple infrastructure into business-critical platforms. Without the ability to measure performance, organizations cannot optimize experience, revenue, or security. By acquiring Ookla, we will help our clients across business and government scale AI safely and build the trusted data foundations they need to deliver the reliable, seamless connectivity that creates value.
Stephen Bye, CEO, Ookla, said:
Joining Accenture will allow us to scale our premiere network data business across the world’s largest enterprises and accelerate our goal of creating better connected experiences, Our combined capabilities will enable us to more effectively serve CSPs, AI infrastructure providers, edge data centers and enterprise networks. Together, we will redefine how the world measures, understands and experiences connectivity.