Cisco Ends Consumer Dalliance With Linksys Sale

Networking giant Cisco has finally given up the consumer ghost, selling off its home networking division Linksys to Belkin, a US-based firm that sells a wide range of technology to the public and businesses.

Cisco has been shedding its consumer-focused products in earnest, ever since it realised it was throwing money away by not focusing its energies on the enterprise. It famously ditched the Flip camera division in 2011, before killing its Umi telepresence product for consumers in 2012.

Cisco consumer love dies

It had been rumoured the company was gearing up for a sell off of Linksys, and it has now become official. The business will keep its name and Belkin will be offering support for Linksys products as the transition gets going.

The two companies will be collaborating closely in the coming months to promote Linksys and there was no talk of layoffs.

“Belkin’s ultimate goal is to be the global leader in the connected home and wireless networking space and this acquisition is an important step to realizing that vision,” said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin.

“We look forward to honoring the heritage of the Linksys brand and investing in the continuing evolution of its product portfolio. Together, we will provide a powerful, simple to use, and reliable wireless and networking platform for the markets we serve.”

Do you know the secrets of Wi-Fi? Take our quiz!