ProgrammableWeb, a well-known repository for Web APIs, has been acquired by Alcatel-Lucent in a surprise move. Terms of the acquisition remain undisclosed, but according to the press release, ProgrammableWeb will continue to operate as a separate entity and the site’s founder John Musser will be making the move to Alcatel-Lucent.
The repository, which was launched back in 2005 and now contains some 2,042 APIs (we covered when it hit 1,000 back in November 2008), will be maintained by its new owner.
Alcatel-Lucent says it bought ProgrammableWeb to help foster an ecosystem of service providers, enterprises, and developers to drive the creation of applications at present and in the ‘new world of broadband mobile’ through LTE (Long Term Evolution). The company adds that it will provide support and resources to promote the growth of the API, mashup and developer ecosystem, and facilitate service providers’ participation within it.
The acquisition also gives Alcatel-Lucent access to general API usage patterns, allowing it to build API Bundles for its own Open API Service. ProgrammableWeb’s API monitoring services, API trial services, and automated API updates will be integrated into Alcatel-Lucent’s Developer Platform.