Belkin completes Linksys purchase; Linksys brand will continue

Belkin has announced it has completed its previously announced plans to acquire Linksys from Cisco but will continue to release networking and WiFi products under the Linksys brand.

In January, Belkin announced that it would acquire the Home Networking Business Unit of Cisco, which includes the Linksys brand. This week, Belkin announced that deal has now officially concluded. Specific financial details of the acquisition were not revealed. However, Belkin now says that the addition of Linksys to their business means they now have 1,500 employees that sell products in over 100 countries.

Founded in 1988, Linksys was bought by Cisco in 2003 as part of the company's plan to enter the consumer router market. Cisco later decided to move to other areas which allowed Belkin an opening to take over the brand. While Belkin may now control the Linksys name, the company still feels that the brand still has some value. The press release states that Belkin still plans to release products that will be sold under the Linksys name with some new product announcements planned for later this spring. It adds:

By maintaining the Belkin and Linksys brands in home networking, Belkin aims to address a broader range of consumers with distinct networking solutions and will create the premier ecosystem for mobile devices and smart homes.

People who current own Linksys products, such as their Smart WiFi routers, will still receive support through their normal channels. The Linksys website is still live and Belkin will continue to honor the warranties for current and future Linksys products.

Source: Belkin | Image via Belkin