After announcing earlier this year that it is bowing out of the North American telecommunications market, Toshiba is selling various assets and support from its unified communications (UC) business to Mitel.
The acquisition follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies on May 11 that transferred assets and all existing inventory to Mitel. Effective immediately, all product and services agreements with Toshiba customers have also been transferred to Mitel. Both companies have committed to supporting current warranty and maintenance obligations.
Toshiba’s Telecommunication Systems Division that sold its UC offerings will be shut down. This arm of Toshiba based out of Irvine, California primarily manufactured IP business telephone systems for the small-and-medium sized businesses and enterprise space.
However, various sales, support, and R&D employees out of that division will join Mitel in order to maintain business continuity. Toshiba customers and partners will have a ‘clear path forward with Mitel, including ongoing access to existing Toshiba products and services’.
“In a rapidly changing and opportunity rich technology landscape, Mitel is helping customers find a seamless path forward whether in the cloud, on-premsises, or a hybrid of both,” said Rich McBee, CEO of Mitel in a statement. “We are excited to officially welcome Toshiba customers, partners, and employees to the Mitel family.”
According to Mitel, the acquisition signals the company’s strategic focus on growing its position in the UC market with digital transformation in mind. This transaction expands Mitel’s customer base in regards to global cloud communications.
Toshiba’s channel partners will have the opportunity to join Mitel’s channel partner program.
Mitel has been busy over the last year. It announced improved network performance through a partnership with VeloCloud, launched a new business phone with one-touch integration, and revealed its new global cloud UC solution.