UK partners of Cambium Networks have expressed their sorrow over the sudden collapse of the wireless networking vendor, but are hopeful parts of the business can be sold or salvaged.
The US-based outfit yesterday confirmed it has cut more than half its global workforce and put its UK subsidiary, Cambium Networks Ltd, into administration.
In a LinkedIn article, Adlane Fellah, Chief Analyst at Maravedis Research, said Cambium had built a “credible price-performance alternative to RUCKUS in the MDU [Multiple Dwelling Unit] market”.
He advised Cambium’s MSP partners to export full configuration and device inventories from Cambium’s cnMaestro cloud management platform “today, while the service is still up”.
“For MSPs with Cambium in the field, the first priority is preserving operational control,” he wrote.
“We remain hopeful”
Motorola spin off Cambium owes its substantial presence in Ashburton, Devon to Motorola’s 2006 acquisition of British wireless device maker Orthogon Systems.
The UK business employed an average of 80 staff in 2024, recently filed accounts indicate.
In an SEC filing yesterday, parent company Cambium Networks Corporation confirmed it is reducing its workforce by 260 employees globally, or 53.6% of its total workforce, adding that “no severance payments were offered or made”.
The UK administration is being handled by RSM UK Restructuring Advisory.
Despite stressing that RSM will “attempt to sell” its assets, Cambium Networks Corporation said it anticipates that “all of the remaining entities” of the UK business will be wound up.
Hugh Garrod, CEO of Cambium distributor Purdicom, said he remained “optimistic” about the prospects for Cambium’s enterprise business.
“We were very sorry to hear that Cambium UK has been placed into administration. As our longest-standing vendor, this came as quite a shock to both us and our customers,” he told IT Channel Oxygen.
“We understand that key members of the UK team remain actively engaged with the Cambium business and continue to support both customers and partners during this period.
“We are led to believe that Cambium Networks Inc. is currently taking a number of steps as part of its wider business strategy, including the proposed sale of its defence business, with the intention of strengthening the company going forward.
“Whilst we have not received any official communication from Cambium at this time, we remain optimistic that the Cambium Enterprise business will continue to move forward successfully.
“Our thoughts are with the Cambium EMEA employees who have lost their jobs as a result of this situation, many of whom have given years of dedicated service to the business. We wish them every success for the future.”
Sunil Bouri, MD of Cambium Networks’ distributor EET, said he was “saddened” to hear of the workforce reductions and UK insolvency.
“We remain hopeful that the appointed administrators will find suitors for the respective business areas so that some continuity can be retained,” Bouri told IT Channel Oxygen.
“We thank the team members affected sincerely for their collaboration and support, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
“We fully recognise this also causes uncertainty for our partners and their end users, particularly around warranties, technical support, cloud management and ongoing project deliveries. EET continues to support deployments where possible and is seeking further clarification at this stage. As soon as we receive further news, we will share advice and guidance with customers.”
Cambium competitors including RUCKUS and Eero were quick to reach out to impacted employees over LinkedIn.
“Many of the skills that drive success at Cambium – consultative selling, wireless networking expertise, channel engagement, solution design, and a customer-first mindset – translate naturally to opportunities within the RUCKUS organization,” RUCKUS recruiter Mason Kellar wrote.
RSM UK Restructuring Advisory said they weren’t in a position to comment today.
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
