NeoPhotonics Buys Two Companies, 25 Patents

NeoPhotonics, a supplier of fiber optic component and module solutions for broadband networks, yesterday announced the acquisition of two California-based companies, LightConnect Inc. of Newark and OpTun Inc. of Santa Clara. Specific terms of the acquisitions, based on a combination of cash and stock, were not disclosed.

LightConnect manufactures MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) -based components and modules for the fiber optic communications industry; OpTun develops planar lightwave circuit (PLC) -based reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs). NeoPhotonics announced the acquisitions in conjunction its completion of a $50 million equity funding round and said it also bought 25 MEMS patents from Canada's MemX Corp.

Neophotonics CEO Tim Jenks said the acquisitions help the company transition from passive optical components into the world of next-generation optical networks that require dynamic reconfiguration to accommodate the dramatic increase in data traffic being driven by new FTTx (fiber to the x) and other broadband services. "The two most rapidly growing markets for optical components are FTTx and ROADMs," Jenks said.

The company will ultimately combine MEMS and PLC technology to develop more efficient optical subsystems, said LightConnect CEO Sushil Shah.

For more information, visit: www.neophotonics.com