Networking vendor Nortel has acquired software based unified communications vendor Pingtel for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition of US based Pingtel, owned by enterprise mobility vendor Bluesocket, brings the software provider’s existing OEM relationship with Nortel in-house.

Under the terms of agreement Nortel will acquire the key assets of Pingtel from Bluesocket, with Pingtel’s employees being integrated in Nortel’s Billerica, Massachusetts facilities.

David Downing, general manager, Enterprise and SMB Communications Systems, Nortel, said: “This acquisition is another building block in Nortel's vision to be a software-centric company and the leading provider of unified communications solutions.

“We believe that bringing Pingtel's critical R&D capabilities in-house will enable us to further develop software-based solutions that go beyond the boundaries of our previous OEM relationship. We expect that this will enable Nortel to accelerate the development of new IT-centric channels to market.”

Martin Steinmann, senior vice president, marketing at Pingtel, said: “Pingtel has established itself as a unified communications vendor with market-leading, very sophisticated solutions based on interoperable software that can run on a multitude of hardware platforms.”

“The acquisition of Pingtel by Nortel is the next logical step that will further accelerate adoption of the technology and solutions on a global basis. We are very excited to become part of Nortel, the leading provider in the market for unified communications.”