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The Maven Lab acquisition positions 8x8 for growth in South-Eastern Asia: Should competitors be paying attention?

Analyst Opinion 14 Jan 2026 Prachi Nema

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8x8 has acquired Maven Lab to expand CPaaS in South-Eastern Asia, boost regional presence, access new demographics, and drive growth amid competitive challenges.

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Summary

The communications platform as a service (CPaaS) market is shifting from basic API-based messaging and voice services toward integrated communication layers embedded within business workflows. Enterprises increasingly expect scalable, regional, and industry-specific solutions. In January 2026, 8x8 advanced its global CPaaS ambitions by acquiring Maven Lab, a leading provider in South-Eastern Asia. This strategic move has the potential to strengthen 8x8’s market position and accelerate its regional expansion.

8x8’s acquisition of Maven Lab: Insights and implications

8x8 has recognized the importance of combining organic efforts with strategic acquisitions to accelerate market development in the CPaaS market, where leveraging local knowledge is essential to offering solutions that resonate with customers and meet the unique demands of specific regions.

8x8’s acquisition of Maven Lab exemplifies this approach—positioning 8x8 for growth and expanding its footprint across South-Eastern Asia. This acquisition facilitates market development in several key ways:

Accelerated market entry: Immediate access to Maven Labs’ customer base, distribution channels, and local expertise. This speeds up market entry, helping 8x8 become a key regional player.
Establishing a strong regional presence: Maven Lab’s infrastructure and market knowledge help 8x8 rapidly build a strong South-Eastern Asia presence. This boosts service to existing global customers and attracts new ones in high-growth regions. 8x8 is not entirely new to the Asian market, as its services are already available in India. The company provides a range of communication solutions, including cloud-based PSTN services, videoconferencing, and SMS products, supporting local carriers such as Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone.
Access to new customer demographics: The acquisition allows 8x8 to reach new customer segments that Maven Lab’s base and market scope provide. This diversification enhances 8x8’s market share and revenue streams.
Synergies and enhanced capabilities: 8x8 can create synergies and enhance Maven Lab’s offerings with its expertise and scale, resulting in a stronger, competitive product suite. This integration enables 8x8 to deliver greater value, combining its global capabilities with Maven Lab’s regional strengths.

Reviving the business becomes crucial for 8x8 in an increasingly competitive market

As with other UCaaS vendors, 8x8 has experienced a slowdown in market growth, as illustrated in Figure 1. This period of flat revenue performance highlights the critical need for CEO Samuel C Wilson to implement bold strategic measures to reignite growth and address mounting competitive challenges.

Figure 1: 8x8 revenue (2021–25, fiscal) Source: Omdia

However, in the existing markets in North America and Europe, 8x8 faces fierce competition from established players such as RingCentral, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Microsoft Teams. The company has not explored many obvious strategic options, such as enhancing its video collaboration offering and diversifying into adjacent markets (e.g., virtual events, employee engagement solutions, etc.).

Yet, given the challenge, the company has wisely shifted its focus toward market development, exemplified by its acquisition of Maven Lab, which strategically positions 8x8 to tap into high-growth opportunities in South-Eastern Asia. Omdia believes this acquisition is a strategic move to break out of this flat-growth phase and drive renewed momentum in the company’s performance.

Figure 2: 8x8’s strategic options Source: Omdia

8x8’s CPaaS offerings

8x8 is currently selling its CPaaS through a combination of strategies aimed at specific industries and use cases using the key approaches mentioned below.

Omnichannel solutions for e-commerce

8x8 is leveraging its CPaaS to support seamless omnichannel communication for e-commerce businesses. This includes tools for marketing, secure customer interactions, and scaling operations to meet the growing demand for integrated shopping experiences across apps, websites, and physical stores.

Targeted use cases

Gig economy: 8x8 offers secure one-time password (OTP) logins and fraud prevention tools for gig economy apps, ensuring fast onboarding and seamless mobile authentication.
Fraud prevention: Real-time fraud prevention tools, such as Omni Shield, are used to protect shipping confirmations and block SMS fraud.
AI-driven enhancements: 8x8 integrates AI into its CPaaS offerings, enabling features such as real-time agent coaching, sentiment analysis, and omnichannel authentication. These capabilities are designed to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

Usage-based models

The company has shifted to usage-based pricing models that align with customer needs and drive adoption across industries.

Strategic partnerships

Collaborations with partners such as ULAP Networks help 8x8 deliver compliant, sovereign-ready connectivity in complex jurisdictions, further expanding its CPaaS reach.

These strategies reflect 8x8’s focus on industry-specific solutions, regional growth, and AI-driven innovation to position its CPaaS as a key enabler of modern communication needs.

Comparison of 8x8’s strategies and offerings to competitors

8x8’s strategies and offerings in the CPaaS market are designed to differentiate the company from competitors such as Twilio, Vonage, and RingCentral. Key comparisons include:

Omnichannel solutions: 8x8 focuses on seamless omnichannel communication for e-commerce businesses, integrating tools for marketing, secure customer interactions, and scaling operations. Competitors such as Twilio also offer robust omnichannel solutions but emphasize developer-friendly APIs, while Vonage targets small-to-medium-sized businesses with simplified integrations.
AI integration: 8x8 leverages AI for real-time agent coaching, sentiment analysis, and omnichannel authentication. Twilio’s AI capabilities focus on programmable voice and chatbot solutions.
Regional focus: 8x8’s acquisition of Maven Lab highlights its commitment to South-Eastern Asia, a region with high growth potential. Twilio and Vonage have broader global footprints but lack the targeted regional expertise that 8x8 gains through Maven Lab.
Usage-based pricing models: 8x8’s shift to usage-based pricing aligns with customer needs, similar to Twilio’s pay-as-you-go model. However, 8x8’s focus on industry-specific solutions provides a competitive edge in addressing unique market demands.

Author

Prachi Nema, Principal Analyst, Unified Communications and Collaborations

[email protected]

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The Analyst Team

Prachi Nema

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Principal Analyst, Unified Communication and Collaboration

Prachi specializes in enterprise communications and collaboration technologies, including video conferencing equipment and services. She brings over 15 years of telecoms industry experience and expertise in fixed and mobile convergence, service provider strategies, and next-generation technologies. Prachi has authored market share and forecast reports and analysis on a range of topics across the enterprise collaboration landscape.

Prachi has worked as a software engineer with various companies, including Idea Cellular, AT&T, and Motorola. She then moved into research and analysis, working as telecoms analyst with several boutique firms, including GSMA, where she researched strategies for increasing youth employment opportunities through mobile technologies and services. She holds an engineering degree in electronics and telecommunications from SGSITS in India and an MBA from the Henley Business School, part of University of Reading. Prachi is fluent in English and Hindi and is based in London.

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