What Ookla Adds to Accenture Following Ziff Davis Deal

Ziff Davis has sold its Connectivity division to Accenture for US$1.2bn – a strategic move reshaping of both companies’ roles in the connectivity and network intelligence ecosystem, with clear implications for CSPs, hyperscalers and enterprise network teams.

The Ziff Davis Connectivity division spans globally recognised brands in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi‑Fi network design, intelligence, testing and incident detection, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics.

These platforms help service providers, enterprises and regulators optimise networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. 

In 2025, Connectivity generated US$231m in revenue, around 16% of total Ziff Davis revenues.

The importance of the all-cash transaction

For Ziff Davis, the deal also acts as a value‑realisation event.

“This is a transformative deal for Ziff Davis, representing a significant realization of value for our shareholders and a concrete illustration of the quality of the businesses in our portfolio,” says Vivek Shah, the company’s CEO.

“I would like to thank our colleagues at Connectivity for building a terrific business that delivers best-in-class network intelligence and optimization solutions to service providers, enterprises, and regulators all around the world. 

“The Connectivity team is thrilled at the prospect of joining Accenture, a leading global solutions and services company.”

​The company plans to use proceeds for general corporate purposes and to fund its capital allocation activities, in line with the terms of its outstanding debt securities.

Accenture and network intelligence at scale

Accenture is acquiring Ookla and its portfolio to hardwire network intelligence into AI‑driven transformation programmes for CSPs, hyperscalers and enterprises. 

Ookla’s data platform captures more than 1,000 attributes per test and is anchored by over 250 million consumer‑initiated tests per month, supplemented by controlled drive, walk and embedded testing. 

This blend of quality of service, RF signal and quality of experience data is increasingly critical as AI workloads, edge computing and private 5G networks become core to digital business.

​“Modern networks have evolved from simple infrastructure into business-critical platforms,” says Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture. 

“Without the ability to measure performance, organisations cannot optimise experience, revenue or security. 

“By acquiring Ookla, we will help our clients across business and government scale AI safely and build the trusted data foundations they need to deliver the reliable, seamless connectivity that creates value.”

As well as this, Manish Sharma, Chief Strategy and Services Officer at Accenture, frames the portfolio as end‑to‑end network intelligence.

He says: “Speedtest and RootMetrics define the experience, Downdetector identifies incidents faster and Ekahau drives digital workplace transformation through superior Wi-Fi.

“In an era of omni-channel and agentic access, low-latency, zero-friction connectivity is a competitive necessity – and these tools give enterprises the power to build the high-performance environments they need.”

What this means for CSPs, hyperscalers and enterprises

For CSPs, autonomous, data‑rich networks are becoming integral for capital planning and operational efficiency. 

Accenture aims to use Ookla’s measurement and benchmarking assets – combined with AI – to support real‑time planning, predictive simulations and cost optimization across large‑scale fixed and mobile infrastructure. 

Hyperscalers and cloud providers, meanwhile, gain deeper telemetry to protect the resilience of AI infrastructure and edge data centres that now host a growing share of inference workloads.

​Enterprises are set to benefit, too, thanks to tighter integration between network design and broader digital transformation programmes. 

Ekahau’s specialised hardware and software for Wi‑Fi and private 5G design, combined with Accenture’s consulting and managed services, can help organisations design, test and troubleshoot mission‑critical campus and branch networks. 

“With the Ookla portfolio, we will offer end-to-end network intelligence services essential for AI-based transformation,” Manish adds.

Stephen Bye, CEO of Ookla, adds: “Joining Accenture will allow us to scale our premiere network data business across the world’s largest enterprises and accelerate our goal of creating better connected experiences.

“Our combined capabilities will enable us to more effectively serve CSPs, AI infrastructure providers, edge data centers and enterprise networks. 

“Together, we will redefine how the world measures, understands and experiences connectivity.”

Ziff Davis will continue to own and operate the Connectivity division until the deal’s completion.