VeriSign buys m-Qube

VeriSign is acquiring m-Qube for $250 million in cash, adding the small company's premium content delivery platform to VeriSign's growing portfolio of mobile content services.

VeriSign officials said the deal should be viewed through the lens of its recent overall acquisition strategy: Last month VeriSign bought 3United, a wireless application services provider with customers in Asia and Europe, and earlier this month it closed its deal with Kontiki, which provides managed peer delivery systems for high-quality video and other digital content. The three acquisitions are building a robust content delivery platform that enables carriers, Internet portals, media companies and even individual consumer brands to target customers with almost any type of content from messaging to video, Verisign officials said in a statement issued after the announcement.

m-Cube itself specializes in premium SMS and other content services carriers and media companies use to market their services and create mobile storefronts. Among its many customers, m-Qube counts Sony Pictures, Major League Baseball, CBS and Warner Music Group.