Cisco Systems Inc. said it is buying privately-held Sipura Technology Inc. with plans to fold it under its Irvine-based Linksys unit.
Cisco plans to pay $68 million in cash and stock options for San Jose-based Sipura, which makes voice over Internet protocol telephones and adapters.
Linksys has said it plans to target the voice over Internet market. It’s goal is to pair Linksys’ wireless routers with phones used to make VoIP calls.
“The acquisition of Sipura will augment Linksys’ leading position in the rapidly growing VoIP market and is an example of Linksys’ strategy to increase internal R & D; capabilities in specific product categories,” said Charles Giancarlo, Cisco’s chief technology officer and president of Cisco-Linksys.
Giancarlo oversees Linksys, but Victor Tsao, Linksys cofounder along with his wife Janie, runs the unit’s day-to-day operations. Linksys already had been working with Sipura for some time and Tsao was instrumental in the acquisition, according to a Linksys spokeswoman.
In February, Cisco acquired San Jose-based Airespace Inc., doling out $450 million in stock,its biggest acquisition since it bought Linksys for $500 million two years ago.
