HLIT NEWS--
BW)(TX-MSI/HARDIN) MSI to Acquire Hardin & Associates, Inc. to Create Broadband Wireless Consulting Powerhouse with Wide Range of Experience
Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2000--MSI, a leading global provider of business and OSS software used by the wireless telecommunications industry, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Hardin & Associates, Inc., a leader in the wireless broadband access engineering and strategic consulting arena.
The integration of Hardin & Associates (HAA) establishes MSI as an immediate world leader in the wireless broadband access industry. For the past decade, Hardin & Associates has served as a leader in local multipoint distribution system (LMDS), and multichannel multipoint distribution system (MMDS) frequencies. Together, MSI and HAA will provide cutting edge and expanded services to the worlds leading wireless telecommunications providers.
HAA will continue to operate under the name Hardin & Associates as a wholly owned subsidiary of MSI. The two will serve as the world's leading provider of consulting services to all players in the wireless industry, ranging from those offering broadband access to those providing mobile voice services.
"Combining these two companies further confirms MSI as the leader in supporting all forms of wireless technology, allowing us to more fully support those MSI customers that offer a range of wireless services," says Chip Wagner, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Operations. "We are pleased to combine the strengths of our two companies to create a consulting powerhouse serving the extended wireless industry."
Virginia-based Hardin & Associates creates MSI's newest Center of Excellence (CoE), which will specialize in supporting broadband wireless access (BWA) technologies, including LMDS, MMDS, 39GHz and license exempt spectrum frequencies - a market that is expected to explode in the coming years. In fact, Washington, D.C. - based The Strategis Group predicts that wireless broadband revenues in the United States alone will reach $3.4 billion in 2003, compared to 1999 revenues of $11.2 million.
"With the explosion of wireless data globally, the timing of the HAA acquisition could not be better," said Ian Chapman, Vice President of Global Consulting Services for MSI. "We now have an immediate capability to deliver BWA services, to complement our global RF and network consulting practices."
T. Lauriston Hardin, Hardin & Associates' Founder, Chairman & CEO, will now function in the capacity of Vice President of Business Development for HAA while Rick Lawrence will remain as President & COO of Hardin & Associates and will function as head of the new CoE.
"We are very excited about leveraging the combined talents and resources of the two firms as we face the exponential growth of the wireless broadband industry worldwide," says T. Lauriston Hardin, P.E., Founder, Chairman & CEO of Hardin & Associates, Inc. "From Hardin's perspective, this partnership will broaden both our global reach and human resources, enabling us to grow our presence on the worldwide wireless broadband stage. Coupling our expertise and experience with the recognized world class operations of MSI, we have an unbeatable offering."
About Hardin & Associates
Founded in 1988 by T. Lauriston Hardin, Hardin & Associates, Inc. is a recognized leader in the broadband wireless access and broadcast industries, providing engineering, market planning and strategic consulting services. Services include: system design and capacity planning, propagation analysis, FCC applications, strategic analysis, due diligence, market planning, system valuations and brokerage.
About MSI
MSI is a leading global provider of business and OSS software used by the wireless telecommunications industry to launch and support mobile voice and data services. MSI's clients include some of the world's leading wireless operators and service providers, such as AT&T Wireless, Nextel, PrimeCo, Sprint PCS, Vodafone AirTouch Telstra, Diax, Connect (Austria), various entities in China through China Telecom and Singtel Mobile.
MSI currently offers clients five software packages. These product offerings include: network planning software (Planet), network performance management software (Maxxer), usage data mediation software (Ceos), service provisioning software (Cerve) and customer relationship management software (Ceer). In addition to MSI's software products, it offers RF engineering services to help clients implement and rollout new products and services as well as to facilitate their network build-out and project management.
Established in 1989, MSI is headquartered in London and has operations worldwide in Atlanta, Bethesda, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Kansas City, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Paris, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney and Washington DC. General Atlantic Partners, a leading global investor in Internet, Internet-enabled and IT companies is an investor in MSI. |
