Just weeks after Microsoft acquired virtualized packet core vendor Affirmed Networks, it has added Metaswitch to the expanding telecoms capabilities of its Azure cloud platform. No price was disclosed, but rumors pointed to a tag of around $1.35bn. Metaswitch is a venerable name in the world’s of telco IP communications, including VoIP, and has been a leading light in virtualizing the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) to make this essential, but unwieldy enabler of 4G voice and messaging easier to roll out. It also has some 5G virtual core functionality, mainly on the user plane. Microsoft made its agenda clear in a blog post to announced the deal, writing: “Our intention over time is to create modern alternatives to network infrastructure.”…