Capestone Acquires Next Era to Expand Connectivity Across Europe and Middle East

Capestone, a division of OptConnect, announced it has acquired all activities of Next Era, a France-based, specialized niche distributor of 4G/5G/mobile networks and critical communications in EMEA. With this step, Capestone furthers its growth by adding more than 250 channel partners and customers in France, Southern Europe, DACH, and the Middle East that will benefit from Capestone’s expanded managed services and offerings.

In addition to expanding its sales channel, Capestone will partner with specialists in new growth verticals, such as 5G Private Networks, 5G Push To Talk, 5G Critical Communications and 5G communication solutions for airports. By doing so, Capestone capitalizes on added opportunities in the fast-growing IoT and 5G marketplace.

“This acquisition demonstrates OptConnect’s continued commitment to expanding our global footprint and delivering exceptional IoT and 5G solutions to our customers,” said Chris Baird, President and CEO of OptConnect. “By uniting the experience of Capestone and Next Era, we are not only strengthening our presence in EMEA but also creating an opportunity to lead in the IoT and 5G industries worldwide.”

Moving forward, Next Era partners and customers can benefit from an all-inclusive IoT and 5G hardware offering, global wireless connectivity, eSIM technology for mobile and IoT devices, and value-added IoT services that bring new product/market combinations to end customers.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new partners and customers across France, Southern Europe, DACH, and the Middle East into the Capestone family,” said Jos Ouwerkerk, Managing Director of Capestone. “By combining Capestone's comprehensive IoT and 5G solutions with the specialized experience of Next Era, we’re unlocking even greater possibilities for innovation and growth across the EMEA region.”

Next Era, founded in 2008, is headquartered in Plassay, France, and focused on supporting mission critical and business critical partners and customers with best-in-class devices, accessories and solutions for the public safety, industrial, security, utility, transport and services segments.

“Joining Capestone is an exciting new chapter for us and for our partners,” said Xavier Tual, General Manager of Next Era. “Our customers now have access to a bigger organization with a broad suite of IoT and 5G hardware, connectivity, and value-added services, creating exceptional solutions for their unique needs. We look forward to leveraging Capestone’s scale and experience to bring even greater value to our partners and clients across the 5G landscape.”

About Capestone

Headquartered in Leiden, Netherlands, Capestone is a provider of managed connectivity solutions and related hardware for IoT applications serving high-growth industries, including healthcare, industrial IoT, and transportation, among others. Primarily serving the Netherlands, the UK, and Germany, Capestone is a leading, differentiated connectivity provider that has established relationships with top hardware distributors and international carriers across Europe.

About OptConnect

Since its beginnings in 2009, OptConnect has emerged as a leading provider of cellular connectivity services for a wide variety of industries and applications, including security systems, ATMs, wireless kiosks, micro markets, smart safes, digital signage, parking and mobility, irrigation systems, and many other M2M applications. Many thousands of customers across the globe rely on OptConnect for its ‘easy button’ approach, plug-and-play hardware, managed services, and world-class customer care.

Contacts

Gateway Group
Ryan Deloney, Brenlyn Motlagh
(949) 574-3860
[email protected]