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WDS Mobile

Published Date

  • Headquarters: Bournemouth, UK
  • Acquisition Date: September 2017
  • Vertical Market: Communications & Media
  • www.wds.co

Background

Founded in 1996, WDS Mobile provides software and services that enable Tier 1 & 2 mobile operators and device manufacturers to provision, manage, and support their customers. The company’s initial focus was on supporting mobile data products. Starting in 1999, WDS Mobile began building technologies in response to the rapid increase in wireless data users and the consequent need to automate manual processes around customer care.

WDS Mobile built mobile device management capabilities to enable out-of-the-box provisioning, and subsequently moved into knowledge management and customer experience management lifecycle around the use of wireless data products. The company continued to grow until it was acquired by a Fortune 500 company in 2012. WDS Mobile operated within that larger organization until a mutually strategic carve-out enabled its sale to Volaris.

Challenges

As part of its acquisition by Volaris, WDS Mobile has become a standalone business within the Volaris Communications and Media Portfolio. For WDS Mobile, there were two main benefits to joining Volaris. First, WDS Mobile would be able to exercise a considerable degree of autonomy within the decentralized operating model employed by the Volaris Group. Second, because of this autonomy, WDS Mobile could re-establish its direct ties to its customers, something that had previously proven crucial to the company’s innovative drive.

With Volaris, there's a lot of autonomy to be able to deliver on your goals. We are masters of our own destiny now and we can really build our plans and run the business in the way we want to run it.

— Håkan Cronqvist, CEO, WDS Mobile

The Decision to Sell

While returning WDS Mobile to its heritage of developing innovative software solutions through close customer contact, Volaris has also granted the company access to a broad network of software companies and their resources. WDS Mobile can now draw on the best practices and domain expertise of the entire organization and stands to benefit from being part of a portfolio of like-minded leaders.

The fact that we are with like-minded people who understand our story and our market has been really valuable. At Volaris, we're in control of the full business model and it brings us much closer to our customers.

— Nick Gyles, COO, WDS Mobile

Post-Acquisition Success

Looking forward to the future, WDS’ message to the market is that it is once again a stand-alone business. The company will be building up its team, establishing direct sales and marketing, and begin directly engaging with its customers again. WDS Mobile focuses on the wireless communications market and will be planning for both market and geographic expansion in 2018.

As part of Volaris, WDS Mobile will be able to evolve its product-line and expand its services and support capabilities worldwide, allowing the company to seize the opportunities that will arise from the introduction of new devices and the continued growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) market. As a member of the Communications and Media Portfolio, WDS Mobile will also be aiming to benefit from the ability of its fellow portfolio companies to collaborate on solutions that can yield wider propositions, bolstering the company’s market position.