JDSU To Acquire Agilent Testing Unit

In a move to beef up its LTE and WiMax testing capabilities, JDSU reported Thursday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Agilent's network solutions unit for $165 million in cash.

JDSU, formerly known as JDS Uniphase, said the transaction is expected to close in June and that the Agilent unit recorded annual revenue of $162 million in its latest fiscal year, ending Oct. 31.

"This acquisition establishes JDSU as a market leader in wireless test instruments and systems and enables us to provide customers with new innovative LTE solutions as they deploy this next-generation mobile data technology," said Tom Waechter, JDSU president and CEO, in a statement. "JDSU gains market-leading technology and a talented employee team that will fit well with JDSU's customer-centric culture." The Agilent unit has about 700 employees in facilities in Colorado, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Beijing.

In addition to test and measurement expertise in the rapidly emerging LTE and WiMax markets, the unit has expertise in Bluetooth and 3G/4G technologies. The unit's protocol analyzers, for instance, are used for both lab and field testing by networking equipment manufacturers and wireless carriers. Test applications range from integration and interoperability tasks to field trial applications and troubleshooting.

Agilent's E6474A drive test network optimization platform and instruments are utilized by carriers to measure performance of many wireless technologies including LTE and WiMax, both of which are undergoing rapid growth cycles.