As I embark on the role of President and CEO of Affirmed Networks, I am thrilled to share the news that Microsoft has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Affirmed Networks.

Upon the close of this transaction, Affirmed Networks, the company that we built from the ground-up to become an industry-transforming leader in virtualization and 5G, will become part of Microsoft.

We founded Affirmed with a vision to help mobile operators fundamentally transform how they build and operate their networks and to create and deliver innovative new services at significantly lower cost than what was considered possible.

We delivered on that vision by bringing market-leading innovation in virtual evolved packet core; a cloud-native platform for 5G; and a range of capabilities in automation and orchestration that made us a leader with over 100 customers across the globe.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering loyalty of our customers; the incredible resourcefulness, hard work and commitment of our employees; the steadfast support of our investors; and the steady collaboration of our partners.

Our customers have been our best champions, betting on us, and thereby showing a remarkable commitment to innovation and disruption. Working together, we have created a model for mobile networks of the future that is open, cloud-native and capable of being web-scale, all at 70% of the cost of traditional networks. We have been their partner of choice as they prepare for fifth generation (5G) networks and infrastructure. Now, the combined technologies of Microsoft and Affirmed will further accelerate this momentous shift. To every one of our customers, we say, “Thank you!”

Congratulations to our peerless employees who rise to every challenge and overcome them daily with their resourcefulness and commitment to deliver the best solutions to the industry. From the creativity and execution of our engineering, product, R&D, UX and QA organizations, and the relentless customer focus of our delivery and service organization, to the sales, marketing and partnership organizations that work tirelessly to achieve our success, and the agile operations teams in HR, finance, accounting, and IT – this momentous step forward would not have been possible without each one of you.

We now begin the next phase of our journey. A new journey based on shared values that promises even more innovation, growth, and a rewarding path to the future for our customers, employees and partners. I am incredibly excited and look forward to working with all of you to build upon our successes and continue our quest to transform the industry.

To read more about the agreement, please visit the Microsoft blog.

April 23, 2020 Update: Microsoft has completed the acquisition of Affirmed Networks.