DoJ clears HPE to buy Juniper if it sells Instant On Wi-Fi and licenses some code

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has cleared the way for HPE’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks.

The DoJ announced its approval in a Saturday missive that explained regulators will allow the deal – and drop a lawsuit opposing it – if HPE divests its Instant On business and conducts an auction to license the source code for Juniper’s AI Ops for Mist.

Instant On sells Wi-Fi kit for branch offices and campuses. AI Ops for Mist is a tool that applies artificial intelligence to network management chores.

HPE welcomed the deal. A company announcement featured CEO and president Antonio Neri promising customers will enjoy “greater competition in the global networking market” while shareholders can look forward to the deal helping HPE to accelerate growth “in the AI data center, service provider and cloud segments.”

Juniper’s FY 2024 revenue was $5.07 billion, trailing Arista’s $7 billion ...