Ericsson (News - Alert) recently announced that it has acquired Microsoft's Mediaroom business and TV solution. According to the terms of the acquisition, Mediaroom’s staff, which includes 400 employees, will be integrated into the Ericsson group under the Business Unit Support Solutions. Mediaroom is based in Mountain View, California.

Mediaroom is a video platform designed to enable operators to deliver IPTV (News - Alert)-based Pay-TV subscription services on a range of devices both inside and outside the home, including wired and WiFi set top boxes, Xbox 360, PCs, tablets, smartphones and other connected devices. Mediaroom-based TV services are offered by over 60 service providers, and serve nearly 13 million households and 24 million set-top boxes.

Per Borgklint, senior vice president and head of Business Unit Support Solutions at Ericsson said, "This acquisition places us even more securely at the heart of an exciting and highly innovative industry. IPTV subscribers alone are predicted to grow by more than 18% each year to reach 105 million subscribers and revenue of USD 45 b. by 2015. By incorporating Mediaroom into our broad portfolio of solutions we will ensure our customers have the ultimate partner as they transform towards true TV Anywhere multi-screen services and optimized video delivery in any network"

Ericsson has about 15,000 consulting and systems integration experts globally and delivers more than 1,500 consulting and systems integration projects on a yearly basis. In related news, Ericsson recently completed the acquisition of Telcocell in North America. The acquisition also complements Ericsson's existing comprehensive Business Support Systems product portfolio. Ericsson welcomed approximately 200 consulting and systems integration professionals who were integrated into the company in North America, working under the Ericsson brand.