AT&T is set to buy Vyatta Software Technology from network tech company Brocade in a bid to boost its virtualisation efforts and enhance its enterprise product range.

The transaction, for an undisclosed sum, is subject to the completion of Broadcom’s $5.9 billion acquisition of Brocade – expected to close during the second half of 2017.

AT&T said the addition of technology from the Vyatta platform will contribute to its drive to virtualise and software control 75 per cent of its network by the end of the year.

The company will also use the acquired technology to enhance its enterprise cloud and premises based VNFs product range.

In the deal the operator will acquire the Vyatta network operating system, software in development, existing IP and any pending applications. AT&T will also employ several Brocade employees from its UK and US offices.

“Our network transformation effort lets us add new features quicker than ever before at a much lower cost,” said Andre Fuetsch, CTO and president of AT&T Labs.

“Being able to design and build the tools we need to enable that transformation is a win for us and for our customers.”

Network upgrade
AT&T is currently in the process of virtualising network functions, a move the company said was key for the development and successful roll-out of its 5G services.

At Mobile World Congress 2017, the company said it had began the deployment in 2015 and achieved 34 per cent virtualisation by the end of 2016. At the time it said the target was 55 per cent virtualisation by the end of 2017, although with its latest announcement this goal has moved to 75 per cent.