Bharti Airtel (Airtel) on Wednesday said it has acquired a strategic minority stake in cloud-based networking solutions provider Cnergee Technologies under the Airtel Startup Accelerator Programme.

The Mumbai based Cnergee specialises in integrated networking solutions over cloud for businesses of all sizes. Cnergee has developed a range of 5G ready software tools for Network as a Service (NaaS) that can be deployed at scale to enable zero touch service provisioning, central remote monitoring, and management of all connected devices with a host of real time analytics, Airtel said in a statement.

The stake acquisition will enable Airtel to sharpen its NaaS proposition for small and medium businesses (SMBs) who are looking to accelerate their shift to cloud-based applications, it said.

Unmatched distribution network

Airtel already offers a wide range of connectivity and productivity solutions for SMBs backed by unmatched distribution network reach across India.

In addition, Cnergee’s advanced software tools will boost Airtel’s ‘Work From Anywhere’ solutions portfolio as businesses look at adopt hybrid work models in the post pandemic world, Airtel said.

“As businesses move to cloud-based applications, software defined agile networks are becoming the norm. Airtel is on a mission to accelerate the digital transformation journeys of enterprises through our world-class NaaS platform. We welcome Cnergee to the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program and look forward to deploying their ‘Made in India’ solutions at scale in the fast growing NaaS market in India,” Ajay Chitkara, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Business said.

Airtel Business serves over one-million businesses of all sizes through its integrated portfolio of –connectivity, conferencing, cloud and data centers, cyber security, IoT, Ad-tech, CPaaS (Airtel IQ), and more. It is the market leader in India’s enterprise connectivity segment.