Wireless/5G

Westell Technologies acquires DAS, in-building wireless expert Cellular Specialties

March 6, 2014

The all-cash purchase price in the deal was $39 million.

Westell Technologies (NASDAQ: WSTL), a supplier of intelligent site and outside plant systems, announced that it has acquired Cellular Specialties, Inc. (CSI; Manchester, NH), a specialist in the design and development of in-building wireless solutions including distributed antenna systems (DAS) products and small cell connectivity equipment. The all-cash purchase price in the deal was $39 million.

CSI is known as a developer of in-building wireless connectivity solutions for 3G/4G cellular services. The company's ClearLink brand of high performance, low-PIM brand of in-building products are designed for DAS and small cell deployments. The CSI ClearLink products also include its Universal DAS interface trays (UDiT) line, as well as passive DAS interface units, system components, and antennas.

“Cellular Specialties is a great complement to the Westell solutions portfolio and an ideal fit for our corporate growth strategy,” comments Rick Gilbert, chairman and CEO of Westell Technologies. “CSI excels in creating innovative products to continually move the in-building, distributed antenna systems, and small cell marketplace forward. Additionally, they have an effective management team and great relationships with customers, which will help Westell achieve our stated strategic and financial goals.”

CSI’s portfolio also includes digital repeaters and E911 and location-based enhancement solutions for wireless networks. The company had revenues of approximately $37 million for the 12 months ended December 31, 2013.

“Joining Westell enables us to become part of a team with a common growth strategy, ultimately benefiting our customers and employees,” concludes Scott Goodrich, who will continue on as president of Cellular Specialties, Inc. “As part of Westell, we now have the opportunity to expand our market and, more importantly, our solution offerings, to provide a more comprehensive DAS portfolio. The ability to intelligently monitor and manage the entire DAS infrastructure by integrating Westell’s products into our wireless connectivity solutions will propel our customers to the network availability their clients demand.”

For more information, visit www.westell.com and www.cellularspecialties.com.

About the Author

Matt Vincent | Senior Editor

Matt Vincent is a B2B technology journalist, editor and content producer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in the full range of media content production and management, as well as SEO and social media engagement best practices, for both Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine and its website CablingInstall.com. He currently provides trade show, company, executive and field technology trend coverage for the ICT structured cabling, telecommunications networking, data center, IP physical security, and professional AV vertical market segments. Email: [email protected]