Oracle expands capacity with $2bn Acme deal

Oracle said Monday it was buying Acme Packet for US$2.1 billion in cash, helping the business tech group expand its capacity to deliver voice, video and data over IP networks. "The combination of Oracle and Acme Packet is expected to accelerate the migration to all-IP networks by enabling secure and reliable communications from any device, across any network," the companies said in a statement. "Users are increasingly connected and expect to communicate anytime and anywhere using their application, device, and network of choice." Oracle president Mark Hurd said the acquisition "will enable service providers and enterprises to deliver innovative solutions that will change the way we interact, conduct commerce, deliver healthcare, secure our homes, and much more." Oracle agreed to pay US$29.25 per share in cash for the deal, which has been approved by the Acme board but needs shareholder and regulatory approval. Acme has some 1,925 customers in 109 countries including 51 companies in the Fortune 100.