TA Associates has made an investment in Aicent Inc. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Aicent is said to provide a platform for cross-border and cross-network data delivery solutions to mobile network operators serving more than three billion mobile users worldwide. Its services enable mobile phone users to easily download data and send and receive SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Message Services) messages across different mobile networks globally. Aicent is headquartered in San Jose, California with R&D and support operations in Beijing, China.
Aicent's client base includes nine of the world's ten largest operators, with customers such as AT&T, Verizon, DoCoMo, Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica O2, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. The company has a strong foothold in the rapidly growing Asian markets, with over 90 percent operator coverage in Asia and 100 percent coverage in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Jason P. Werlin, Sr. VP, TA Associates said, "We are delighted to partner with a company that has achieved such strong growth since its inception. Aicent launched one of the world's first GRX networks in 2001, and has established itself as a global hub for mobile operators. The rise of the smartphone and the increasing demand for mobile broadband services has provided the right backdrop for Aicent to roll out a number of groundbreaking products."
Lynn Liu, Founder, President and CEO of Aicent said, "The new partnership with TA Associates will help strengthen Aicent's market position and allow us to continue to bring innovative solutions to our customers. TA has a proven track record when it comes to backing fast-growing profitable telecom businesses and importantly, as an investor, it has a truly global outlook."
