Firecell and Accelleran have announced a strategic merger to form a leading pan-European provider of private 5G solutions. This consolidation is supported by a $9.3 million investment round aimed at creating a complete, pre-integrated platform for industrial and mission-critical applications. The new entity will address the growing demand for reliable connectivity in sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and defense, operating under the Firecell brand.
Addressing a Critical Market Need
The industrial sector's shift towards automation with robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles necessitates highly reliable and deterministic connectivity. A dropped connection in these environments can lead to significant production halts and create serious safety risks for workers. Current private 5G deployments often involve complex integration of components from various vendors, creating significant challenges for enterprises.
A Unified, Sovereign Platform
The merger combines Firecell's core network and management system with Accelleran's programmable Radio Access Network (RAN) and AI capabilities. This creates a single, sovereign private 5G solution developed entirely in Europe, ensuring data autonomy for sensitive applications. The platform offers global spectrum coverage, supporting seamless deployments for multinational industrial clients and critical infrastructure.
Engineered for high performance, the integrated offering delivers sub-millisecond latency and supports thousands of concurrent IoT devices. It features advanced capabilities like dedicated network slicing, Voice over New Radio, and mission-critical push-to-talk functions. Furthermore, AI-driven network intelligence allows for the real-time optimization of network capacity and energy consumption through programmable controllers.
Strategic Expansion and Leadership
The combined company will operate under the Firecell name, with Claude Seyrat appointed as its Chief Executive Officer. This merger is set to double the organization's engineering and commercial footprint, establishing a strong presence across France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. The expanded scale will enhance its ability to serve a growing customer base in Europe, the United States, and Asia.
CEO Claude Seyrat emphasized that industrial clients need predictable connectivity, not a "patchwork of vendors," as they scale their autonomous operations. He stated that the merger provides system integrators with a single, efficient reference solution to standardize on. This allows partners to focus on delivering high-value applications and return on investment rather than complex integration work.
Investor Confidence and Future Outlook
The merger is bolstered by a significant $9.3 million investment led by existing backers, including Matterwave Ventures, BPI France, Qbic, and Cogito Capital Partners. This funding signals strong investor confidence in the combined company's vision and its potential to capture a significant market share. The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2026, pending customary approvals.
Robert Gallenberg, a Partner at Matterwave Ventures, highlighted the rapidly growing demand for private 5G in critical sectors like ports, defense, and utilities. He noted that the merger establishes a credible European alternative, offering a complete platform for system integrators to build their private 5G practices around. The single-stack approach and expanded footprint position Firecell as a future European market leader.
The strategic merger of Firecell and Accelleran marks a pivotal development in the European private 5G landscape. By creating a unified, sovereign, and high-performance platform, the new entity is well-positioned to simplify deployments and accelerate industrial automation. The company plans to officially launch its integrated solution at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, signaling its readiness to compete on a global scale.