Spirent
{{Short description|British telecommunications company}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Spirent Communications plc
| logo = RGB_Spirent_logo_TM_Digital_Blue.svg
| logo_size =
| type = Public
| traded_as = {{ubl|{{lse|SPT}}|FTSE 250 component}}
| industry = Telecommunications
| foundation = {{start date and age|1936}}
| location = {{ubl|Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom (corporate)|San Jose, California, United States (operational)}}
| key_people = {{ubl|Bill Thomas (chairman)|Eric Updyke (CEO)|Paula Bell (CFO)}}
| products = Network diagnostics
| revenue = {{nowrap |{{decrease}} US$460.2 million (2024){{cite web|url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/63dbmymdqn3g/5xSTvyAd4XNUjohSBvznN/7d0ad386fa4d755efd45be5f7d28ad30/PR_04_03_2025_Full_Year_Results_2024_.pdf|title=Annual Results 2024|publisher=Spirent |date=4 March 2025}}}}
| operating_income = {{increase}} US$46.2 million (2024)
| net_income = {{decrease}} US$12.9 million (2024)
| assets = {{increase}} US$614.2 million (2024)
| equity = {{increase}} US$392.5 million (2024)
| num_employees = 1,500 (2025){{cite web|url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/63dbmymdqn3g/4ujTQBTlIoLvRh2kVDmxSG/05770db30efbc7f732ffd7b4529d6e3b/factsheet.pdf|publisher=Spirent|title=Factsheet|access-date=10 February 2025}}
| homepage = {{url|spirent.com}}
}}
Spirent Communications plc is a British-American multinational telecommunications testing company headquartered in Crawley, West Sussex, in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
History
The company was founded by Jack Bowthorpe in 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 the dot-com boom of the 1990s, with the 1995 purchase of Telecom Analysis Systems (located in Eatontown, New Jersey) and the 1997 purchase of businesses such as Adtech, a digital test equipment concern based in Hawaii[http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/boe92253.htm UK Business Park] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226083922/http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/boe92253.htm |date=26 February 2012 }} and the company was a member of the FTSE 100 index from time to time. It disposed of its automotive industry businesses in 1999, the same year that it bought Netcom Systems, a US telecoms testing business which makes network equipment testers,[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WVI/is_/ai_54976400 Bowthorpe ups test role with US buy] Electronics Times, 21 June 1999 and DLS, a Canadian telecoms testing business.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WVI/is_/ai_55092633 Bowthorpe buys DLS for $11.1m] Electronics Times, 5 July 1999 In 2000 it also bought Hekimian, a major Operations Support Systems business,[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CMN/is_1_38/ai_71060782/ Spirent buys Hekimian] Company Business and Marketing, January 2001 Zarak Systems, another communications software business[http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=1655 Spirent Acquires Zarak Systems] Light Reading, 11 September 2000 and Net-Hopper, an access systems specialist.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WVI/is_2000_Oct_23/ai_66407144/ Spirent buy is optics boost – Net-Hopper Systems] Electronics Times, 23 October 2000
In 2000 it changed its name to Spirent. The name is derived from the words "inspired innovation."{{cite web|url=https://corporate.spirent.com/About-Us/Our_History|title=Our history|publisher=Spirent|access-date=30 April 2017}}
It acquired Caw Networks, a Santa Clara company which makes network performance testing appliances including Avalanche, in 2002,[http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/08/05/daily9.html Caw Networks to be acquired by Spirent] Scientific Software Engineering, a United States–based developer of software including Landslide for testing the performance and functionality of wireless network infrastructure, in 2006,[http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/July2006/3318.htm Spirent Acquires 3G Player – Scientific Software] 3G, 10 July 2006 Imperfect Networks, an IDS/IPS testing company, in 2006,[http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Spirent-Communications-Plc-announces-Acquisition-of-Imperfect-Networks-Inc-706988.htm Spirent Communications Plc announces acquisition of Imperfect Networks, Inc.] MarketWire, 10 August 2006 and Fanfare Software, a United States–based developer of the iTest automation software, in 2011.[http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/spirent-gets-automation-game-acquiring-fanfare/2011-02-15 Spirent gets into automation game by acquiring Fanfare] Fierce Telecom, 15 February 2011
It went on to buy Mu Dynamics, a Sunnyvale company which makes cloud and app testing products such as Blitz,[https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/04/20/apps-and-cloud-testing-specialist-mu-dynamics-acquired-by-spirent-in-30m-deal/ Apps and cloud testing specialist Mu Dynamics acquired by Spirent in $40M deal] TNW, 20 April 2012 and Metrico Wireless, a company involved in mobile device performance analytics for wireless service providers, OEMs and corporate enterprises based in Frederick, Maryland, in 2012.[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/spirent-to-buy-metrico-wireless-for-52m-2012-09-06 Spirent to buy Metrico Wireless for $52m] Marketwatch, 6 September 2012
In July 2014, Spirent acquired Radvision's Technology Business Unit from Avaya. Radvision a company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, offers development and test suites for voice and video over IP communications.[https://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140702-904773.html Spirent Agrees to Acquire Radvision's Technology Business Unit], The Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, 2 July 2014
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/southeast/123398-spirent-swoops-danish-group-20m-deal/|title=Spirent swoops for Danish Group in $20m deal|work=Insider Media Ltd |date=15 September 2014|access-date=24 January 2016}}
In March 2016, Spirent announced that it had acquired Testing Technologies, a developer of test automation software for the automotive and IoT industries based in Berlin.{{Cite web |title=Spirent Communications Acquires Testing Technologies IST {{!}} Mergr M&A Deal Summary |url=https://mergr.com/spirent-communications-acquires-testing-technologies-ist-gmbh |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=mergr.com}}
In July 2017, both the Tel Aviv operations and Mobilethink were divested by way of a management buyout into a separate company, Softil.{{cite web|url=https://www.mobilethink.com/management-buyout-device-intelligence-leaders-mobilethink-tweakker/|title=Management Buyout of Device Intelligence Leaders Mobilethink and Tweakker|publisher=Mobilethink|date=1 July 2017|access-date=29 October 2017}}
In March 2021, Spirent acquired octoScope, a company based in Littleton, Massachusetts that offers solutions for automated Wi-Fi and 5G testing in emulated real-world environments.{{Cite web |title=Acquisition of octoScope, Inc. – Company Announcement - FT.com |url=https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-14888795-5RIP1QHGEJQCUU5L2PK0IV56P4 |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=markets.ft.com}}
In September 2023, Spirent acquired the Test Lab Automation business of Netscout Systems.{{Cite web |last=MarketScreener |date=2023-11-02 |title=Spirent Communications plc acquired Test Lab Automation portion from NetScout Systems, Inc. for $8.3 million. -November 01, 2023 {{!}} MarketScreener |url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/SPIRENT-COMMUNICATIONS-PL-9590118/news/Spirent-Communications-plc-acquired-Test-Lab-Automation-portion-from-NetScout-Systems-Inc-for-8-3-45232258/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.marketscreener.com |language=en}}
The board of the company accepted a £1 billion takeover offer from Viavi Solutions in March 2024,{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/05/spirent-shares-takeover-viavi|title=Spirent shares jump 60% as it accepts £1bn bid from US rival Viavi|newspaper=The Guardian|date=5 March 2024|access-date=6 March 2024}} but was subsequently outbid by Keysight with a £1.16 billion offer later that month. This led Spirent to withdraw its support for the Viavi deal and recommend Keysight's offer.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/keysight-agrees-buy-britains-spirent-15-bln-2024-03-28/|title=Keysight outbids rival Viavi to buy UK's Spirent for $1.5 billion|date=29 March 2024|publisher=Reuters}}
Operations
Spirent Communications PLC is a communications and network testing company. Spirent mainly consists of the former Consultronics (later DLS Testworks) (of Ottawa, Ontario), Netcom Systems (of Chatsworth, California and later Calabasas, California), Adtech (of Honolulu, Hawaii), Zarak Systems (of Sunnyvale, California), Caw Networks (of San Jose, California), Hekimian (of Rockville, Maryland), Telecom Analysis Systems (of Eatontown, New Jersey) in 1995, Global Simulation Systems (of Paignton, Devon) in 1997, DLS (of Ottawa, Ontario) in 1998 and a number of other small network test equipment providers that it has acquired such as Imperfect Networks (of Burlington, Massachusetts).{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050613005359/en/Spirent-Communications-Partners-Imperfect-Networks-Deliver-Comprehensive|title=Spirent Communications Partners With Imperfect Networks to Deliver a Comprehensive Platform for Network Application Security Testing for the Enterprise|publisher=Businesswire|date=13 June 2005|access-date=7 September 2018}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.spirent.com Official site]
{{Telecommunications industry in the United Kingdom}}
{{FTSE 250 Index constituents}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Telecommunications companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Companies based in Sussex
Category:Telecommunications companies established in 1936
Category:Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
Category:1936 establishments in England