Big data firm Guavus is expanding its cable strategy in a big way after snapping up Pipeline, a product originally developed by Applied Broadband that collects and analyzes IPDR (Internet Protocol Detailed Records) from cable modem termination systems (CMTSs).
According to the companies, the asset purchase will give Guavus a platform that is currently being licensed by seven of the top 10 North American cable operators. Those MSOs haven’t been identified by name, but they are using Pipeline’s IPDR platform to get a fix on network traffic trends and for capacity planning. IPDR has emerged as a de facto IP data collection standard for cable. CableLabs, for example, uses IPDR in the DOCSIS 3.0 and OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) specs.
Guavus said it will merge Pipeline’s IPDR data platform with existing systems that collect and analyze data from other sources, including customer care, deep packet inspection and interactive voice response (IVR) platforms. Guavus feeds that data into “decisioning applications” that marketers can then use to analyze and uncover new revenue-driving opportunities.
In the cable world, for example, that data could be used to help MSOs identify heavy Internet users and create targeted, higher-end speed packages or cloud-based storage services for that particular segment of the customer base.
Guavus, which has raised $87 million to date, is relatively new to cable, and has reportedly been gaining significant traction in the mobile sector. According to Light Reading, Guavus has already scored deals with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, and has an angle into AT&T.
“We’ve been investing in cable aggressively,” said Gauvus CEO Anukool Lakhina, noting that Big Data represents a new territory that cable can tap into to make product decisions across service areas. The acquisition of Pipeline “accelerates our entry into the cable market,” he added.
Although Applied Broadband is selling off the Pipeline product, the Boulder, Colo.-based engineering firm will remain a strategic partner and advisor of Guavus under a multi-year term, according to Applied Broadband principal and founder Jason Schnitzer.
Guavus and Applied Broadband did not disclose the financial terms of the asset transaction.
