Spirent
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters |
|
Key people |
|
| Products | Networkdiagnostics |
| Revenue |  US$474.3 million (2023)[1] |
| US$45.2 million (2023)[1] | |
| US$25.2 million (2023)[1] | |
| Total assets | US$583.8 million (2023)[1] |
| Total equity | US$375.8 million (2023)[1] |
Number of employees | 1,500 (2024)[2] |
| Website | spirent |
Spirent Communications plcis a Britishmultinationaltelecommunicationstesting company headquartered inCrawley,West Sussex, in the United Kingdom. It is listed on theLondon Stock Exchangeand is a constituent of theFTSE 250 Index.
History
[edit]The company was founded byJack Bowthorpein 1936 as Goodliffe Electric Supplies. In 1949 it changed its name to Bowthorpe. It acquired Optima Electronics in 1987 and disposed of its defence businesses in 1990. The company's electronics business grew rapidly during thedot-com boomof the 1990s, with the 1995 purchase of Telecom Analysis Systems (located inEatontown, New Jersey) and the 1997 purchase of businesses such as Adtech, a digital test equipment concern based in Hawaii[3]and the company was a member of theFTSE 100index from time to time. It disposed of its automotive industry businesses in 1999, the same year that it bought Netcom Systems, a UStelecomstestingbusiness which makes network equipment testers,[4]and DLS, a Canadiantelecomstestingbusiness.[5]In 2000 it also bought Hekimian, a majorOperations Support Systemsbusiness,[6]Zarak Systems, another communications software business[7]and Net-Hopper, an access systems specialist.[8]
In 2000 it changed its name to Spirent. The name is derived from the words "inspired innovation. "[9]
It acquired Caw Networks, aSanta Claracompany which makes network performance testing appliances including Avalanche, in 2002,[10]Scientific Software Engineering, a United States-based developer of software including Landslide for testing the performance and functionality of wireless network infrastructure, in 2006,[11]Imperfect Networks, an IDS/IPS testing company, in 2006,[12]andFanfare Software,a United States-based developer of theiTestautomation software, in 2011.[13]
It went on to buyMu Dynamics,aSunnyvalecompany which makes cloud and app testing products such as Blitz,[14]and Metrico Wireless, a company involved in mobile device performance analytics for wireless service providers, OEMs and corporate enterprises based inFrederick, Maryland,in 2012.[15]
In July 2014, Spirent acquiredRadvision's Technology Business Unit fromAvaya.Radvision a company based inTel Aviv,Israel, offers development and test suites for voice and video over IP communications.[16]
In September 2014, Spirent announced that it acquired Mobilethink A/S and its wholly owned subsidiary, Tweakker ApS, a provider of mobile device management for mobile operators.[17]
In March 2016, Spirent announced that it had acquired Testing Technologies, a developer of test automation software for the automotive and IoT industries based inBerlin.[18]
In July 2017, both the Tel Aviv operations and Mobilethink were divested by way of amanagement buyoutinto a separate company, Softil.[19]
In March 2021, Spirent acquired octoScope, a company based inLittleton, Massachusettsthat offers solutions for automated Wi-Fi and 5G testing in emulated real-world environments.[20]
In September 2023, Spirent acquired the Test Lab Automation business ofNetscout Systems.[21]
The board of the company accepted a £1 billion takeover offer fromViavi Solutionsin March 2024,[22]but was subsequently outbid byKeysightwith a £1.16 billion offer later that month. This led Spirent to withdraw its support for the Viavi deal and recommend Keysight's offer.[23]
Operations
[edit]Spirent Communications PLC is a communications and network testing company. Spirent mainly consists of the former Consultronics (later DLS Testworks) (ofOttawa,Ontario), Netcom Systems (ofChatsworth, Californiaand laterCalabasas, California), Adtech (ofHonolulu,Hawaii), Zarak Systems (ofSunnyvale, California), Caw Networks (ofSan Jose, California), Hekimian (ofRockville, Maryland), Telecom Analysis Systems (ofEatontown, New Jersey) in 1995, Global Simulation Systems (ofPaignton,Devon) in 1997, DLS (ofOttawa,Ontario) in 1998 and a number of other small network test equipment providers that it has acquired such as Imperfect Networks (ofBurlington, Massachusetts).[24]
References
[edit]- ^abcde"Annual Results 2023"(PDF).Spirent. 6 March 2024.
- ^"Factsheet"(PDF).Spirent.Retrieved13 February2024.
- ^UK Business ParkArchived26 February 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^Bowthorpe ups test role with US buyElectronics Times, 21 June 1999
- ^Bowthorpe buys DLS for $11.1mElectronics Times, 5 July 1999
- ^Spirent buys HekimianCompany Business and Marketing, January 2001
- ^Spirent Acquires Zarak SystemsLight Reading, 11 September 2000
- ^Spirent buy is optics boost – Net-Hopper SystemsElectronics Times, 23 October 2000
- ^"Our history".Spirent.Retrieved30 April2017.
- ^Caw Networks to be acquired by Spirent
- ^Spirent Acquires 3G Player – Scientific Software3G, 10 July 2006
- ^Spirent Communications Plc announces acquisition of Imperfect Networks, Inc.MarketWire, 10 August 2006
- ^Spirent gets into automation game by acquiring FanfareFierce Telecom, 15 February 2011
- ^Apps and cloud testing specialist Mu Dynamics acquired by Spirent in $40M dealTNW, 20 April 2012
- ^Spirent to buy Metrico Wireless for $52mMarketwatch, 6 September 2012
- ^Spirent Agrees to Acquire Radvision's Technology Business Unit,The Wall Street Journal,Wednesday, 2 July 2014
- ^"Spirent swoops for Danish Group in $20m deal".15 September 2014.Retrieved24 January2016.
- ^"Spirent Communications Acquires Testing Technologies IST | Mergr M&A Deal Summary".mergr.Retrieved26 July2023.
- ^"Management Buyout of Device Intelligence Leaders Mobilethink and Tweakker".Mobilethink. 1 July 2017.Retrieved29 October2017.
- ^"Acquisition of octoScope, Inc. – Company Announcement - FT".markets.ft.Retrieved26 July2023.
- ^MarketScreener (2 November 2023)."Spirent Communications plc acquired Test Lab Automation portion from NetScout Systems, Inc. for $8.3 million. -November 01, 2023 | MarketScreener".marketscreener.Retrieved28 December2023.
- ^"Spirent shares jump 60% as it accepts £1bn bid from US rival Viavi".The Guardian.5 March 2024.Retrieved6 March2024.
- ^"Keysight outbids rival Viavi to buy UK's Spirent for $1.5 billion".Reuters. 29 March 2024.
- ^"Spirent Communications Partners With Imperfect Networks to Deliver a Comprehensive Platform for Network Application Security Testing for the Enterprise".Businesswire. 13 June 2005.Retrieved7 September2018.
