In early 2024, HPE announced its intention to buy Juniper Networks. To acquire this network equipment supplier, HPE is ready to pay around $ 14 billion. The United States Ministry of Justice had initially attempted to block the transaction, but no longer opposes it.
Update of July 1, 2025: The United States Ministry of Justice is no longer seeking to prevent the redemption of Juniper by HPE. An agreement was found with authority, Hpe and Juniper said. The agreement provides for the abandonment of prosecution by the Ministry of Justice, thus paving the way to the conclusion of the operation.
As part of the agreement, HPE undertakes to sell its “Instant ON” solution – including the brand, contracts, stocks and associated patents. In addition, up to two companies, selected via an auction procedure validated by the US government, will receive a license on the source code of “Mist Aiops” technology. To support this transfer, 55 Juniper employees – including 30 technical engineers and 25 members of the sales teams – will be transferred to future license holders, according to information from the CRN specialized media.
However, the procedure is not yet definitively closed: the agreement must still formally be validated by a court.
News of February 3, 2025: American justice slows down juniper’s buyout projects by Hpe
The United States Ministry of Justice does not agree with HPE’s projects to buy the specialist in Juniper networks. A complaint will be filed against the transaction, the US government announces in a statement.
To justify this approach, the ministry refers to the market situation: HPE and Juniper are respectively the second and third largest providers of WLAN solutions for companies in the United States – a market already focused on some suppliers. The redemption of Juniper by HPE would end the fierce competition between the two companies. This situation could lead to a price increase, a decrease in innovation and a reduction in freedom of choice for many American companies and institutions.
Hpe and Juniper oppose the American judicial authority. In their press release, the two companies explain that the merger will not hinder global competition but that it will promote it. “We believe that the analysis of the Ministry of Justice on this acquisition is fundamentally wrong and we are disappointed by the ministry’s decision to bring legal action to prevent the conclusion of the transaction. We will vigorously object to the excessive interpretation of antitrust laws by the Ministry of Justice and we will show how this transaction offers more innovation and choices to customers, positively modifies network market dynamics by increasing competition and strengthens the backbone of American network infrastructure, “said Hpe and Juniper. Companies refer to a number of other competition authorities, including those of the European Union and the United Kingdom, who have already approved the transaction.
