Japanese telecommunications company KDDI has announced plans to acquire Soracom, a specialist provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and platform services, the deal was confirmed by KDDI president Takashi Tanaka.
Under the agreement, KDDI will purchase all outstanding shares of Soracom, making the company a consolidated subsidiary of KDDI and bringing Soracom’s technology and customer base directly into KDDI’s broader communications and IoT operations.
Established in 2015, Soracom developed the Soracom IoT platform to deliver secure, IoT-optimized communications by combining over-the-air connectivity with cloud capabilities. The platform enables customers to manage devices and connections through a web console and API, facilitating rapid deployment and scaling of IoT solutions with deep cloud integration and support for private cloud connections. Soracom’s approach focuses on making device management, connectivity, and cloud integration simpler and more reliable for businesses deploying IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.
In under two years, Soracom expanded internationally, launching operations in the United States and Europe, extending service coverage to more than 120 countries and building a global customer base of over 7,000 organizations. To support that growth, Soracom has cultivated an ecosystem of more than 350 registered partners within its Soracom Partner Space. The company’s engineers have also actively promoted IoT knowledge and best practices through conferences, lectures, and hands-on workshops across Japan, the U.S., and Europe, strengthening industry awareness and adoption.
Following the acquisition, KDDI plans to combine its existing IoT business infrastructure with Soracom’s communications platform to accelerate the global rollout of a unified IoT platform. The two companies intend to leverage the technical know-how, partner networks, and customer relationships they have developed to create a market-leading joint IoT business, improving service offerings and expanding reach for enterprise and industrial IoT deployments.
Separately, news outlets have reported another acquisition in the IoT and industrial-software arena: General Electric is reportedly acquiring Israeli-Japanese start-up IQP Corporation for an estimated $30–$40 million. IQP, which has a team of around 15 employees, is expected to be integrated into GE’s Predix software initiative and become part of GE Digital’s development center in Herzliya, supporting the company’s industrial IoT and analytics efforts.