Boston, MA 10/18/2013 (wallstreetpr) – Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a leader in its segment. The company is the leading provider of conditional access and digital rights management solutions in Asia Pacific. The digital television industry is growing very rapidly in this region. The company recently announced that it is now delivering conditional access of digital TV to more than 100 million subscribers in Asia Pacific. Cisco is a market leader in this segment estimated to be 257 million digital TV homes. With an average of 3.3 persons per household, Cisco provides TV content to over 330 million viewers. This follows disappointing news from China. Hardware sales have fallen by more than 40%. Experts opine that the Chinese government is pressurizing domestic firms to purchase Chinese made hardware. The buyers may have put their buying decisions on hold till there is clarity in the government’s policies.
Cisco has moved aggressively on acquisitions to bolster its technology platform and to bolster sales. The acquisitions of more than 140 companies in the last decade have ensured that the company has posted more profits than losses. It has managed to stay ahead of its competitors even as the macro economic conditions have worsened. Analysts are looking at the cash pile of $50 billion as a war chest to fund further acquisitions. Blackberry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY) will fit into the company’s strategic requirements. Faced with dwindling profits, intense competition and, falling market share on account of cheaper smartphones, Blackberry is looking out for buyers. Blackberry has a preliminary agreement with Fairfax Financial Holdings, its largest shareholder, to take over the company for $4.7 billion. Blackberry would help Cisco build up its security offering as well as offer the company a stepping stone in its quest of entering the mobile market. With several companies already in the fray, it remains to be seen if Cisco manages to grab Blackberry.
