BridgePort Networks

BridgePort Networks, Inc. was a mobile VoIP and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) application developer founded in 2002 by Mike Mulica and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company specialized in providing infrastructure software that allowed for the seamless integration of mobile and voice over IP (VoIP) services, enabling the use of a single phone number across multiple networks like mobile, cable, DSL, and Wi-Fi. This was aimed at telecommunications service providers, enterprise sectors, and other service providers. Mike Mulica, a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience in mobile communications at companies like Motorola, played a key role in steering the company's focus on emerging mobile technologies.

The company's core product was the NomadicONE Network Convergence Gateway. This platform extended a user's phone number identity across various networks, a crucial step for both pre-IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) and emerging IMS environments. BridgePort Networks also developed the MobileSTICK solution, a USB device with an embedded SIM card that transformed a personal computer into a terminal for mobile services, including voice calls and messaging, over a broadband connection. This addressed the growing demand for integrated communication solutions. The company's contributions were recognized when the World Economic Forum named it a Technology Pioneer in 2007.

Financially, BridgePort Networks secured significant venture capital, raising a total of $38 million over two Series B funding rounds in 2004 and 2006. Key investors included Birch Hill Equity Partners, Polaris Partners, General Catalyst, and BCE. On February 1, 2008, BridgePort Networks was acquired by CounterPath Corporation, a provider of desktop and mobile VoIP software. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, was a strategic move for CounterPath to broaden its market reach into carrier-class FMC solutions and expand its intellectual property portfolio with BridgePort's 18 pending or granted patents.

Keywords: mobile VoIP, fixed-mobile convergence, FMC, NomadicONE, network convergence gateway, single number service, IP Multimedia Subsystem, telecom infrastructure software, MobileSTICK, SIM-based authentication, CounterPath acquisition, Mike Mulica, voice over IP solutions, telecom service providers, enterprise communication, mobile network integration, broadband communication, unified communications