Accenture will also be better positioned to enhance 5G network capabilities in Spain and Portugal
In an effort to bolster is 5G network capabilities, Accenture has acquired Arca, a Spanish engineering services company with a focus on network operations and business services. More specifically, with support from an integrated platform that automates network monitoring, Arca offers multidisciplinary services for network operations, including the engineering, designing, deployment and management of telecom infrastructure.
For Accenture, the acquisition is expected to “reinforce [its]role as a key partner for the engineering, design, deployment and operation of network services,” as well as put the company in a better geographical position to enhance network capabilities in Spain and Portugal.
“5G, cloud and edge computing will usher in a new wave of change and innovation for businesses,” said Domingo Mirón, who leads Accenture’s business in Iberia. “To realize their full potential, companies must act now to adopt the right strategy and build new business solutions enabled by network investments. By harnessing Arca’s expertise, this acquisition will strengthen our ability to help clients accelerate their 5G Cloud network transformation from design through to deployment and operation.”
Manish Sharma also highlighted how Arca’s “vast experience with network services” complements Accenture’s larger strategy.
“Together, we will help clients adapt their operating model, expand the skills of their people and drive innovation to unlock the full potential of 5G,” Sharma added.
While the terms of the transaction were not disclosed, Accenture did reveal that Arca’s 640 employees will join Accenture in Spain.
In addition to this recent acquisition, Accenture has been focused on securing its place in the 5G future through partnership such as the one cemented in July with with AT&T to outfit Phillips 66, a 2,000-acre refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, with a private cellular network solution that will lay the foundation for potential future 5G use cases.
Accenture’s Communications & Media Industry Lead for North America Andrew Walker spoke to RCR Wireless News about the partnership, describing 5G as the key enabler of cloud computing.
“We are working with AT&T to kind of overlay the network across the entire space and then start to look out how people are doing their jobs and how machines are interrelating,” he explained. “And all of this goes back to the cloud to look at safety, throughput, where there are leaks and spills. Now all of the sensors on the machines can immediately report back to whatever cloud provider they’re using and run all of the analytics.”
“Cloud is really cool,” he added, “but without the advanced network across these 2,000 acres, it doesn’t help the company a lot.”