Downdetector and Speedtest sold to Accenture for $1.2 billion

Downdetector and Speedtest — the free platforms that allow people on the web to quickly check internet speeds or see if an online platform may be down — will soon have a new owner. On Tuesday, the consulting and IT services provider Accenture announced that it has agreed to acquire the Ookla-owned platforms from Ziff Davis for $1.2 billion, as reported earlier by Reuters. In the press release, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says the company will use Ookla’s products to capture data that will help “clients across business and government scale AI safely.” Ziff Davis, which owns CNET, IGN, and Eurogamer, acquired Ookla in 2014. Ookla’s other products include Ekahau, which makes software for network design and troubleshooting, along with RootMetrics, a platform that measures mobile network speeds. Following the acquisition, which is still subject to regulatory approval, Ookla’s data will be used to assist cloud service providers and AI hyperscalers, though Accenture tells Ars Technica it will continue to run the Ookla “business as it operates today.” “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,” Ookla CEO Stephen Bye says in a statement.