Comrod acquires TransOpto to add optical links to its defence portfolio
Norwegian communications company Comrod has acquired TransOpto in Kristiansand, which develops wireless optical data links. The technology gives defence customers an alternative to radio communication that is harder to detect.
The acquisition has been completed, according to a press release from Comrod. Financial terms were not disclosed.
TransOpto develops free-space optical communications equipment, which uses light to transmit data between two points with a clear line of sight, without any fibre cable. Its Longbow platform automatically points and tracks the optical beam to maintain a high-capacity connection between the two locations.
For defence customers, the benefit is that such links are hard to detect. Radio signals can be located and jammed, and as military forces invest in the ability to communicate where an adversary is jamming or monitoring the radio spectrum, optical links are becoming an important complement to RF-based networks.
“By adding optical communications technology to our portfolio, we are expanding our ability to support resilient, high-capacity communications while providing customers with an additional option for operating in contested electromagnetic environments,” said Ole Gunnar Fjelde, CEO of Comrod Communication.
Comrod is headquartered in Tau, near Stavanger, and makes antennas, masts, amplifiers, power supplies and control systems for defence and commercial customers, including in the electricity utility sector. With TransOpto, the company aims to offer integrated communications solutions that span both RF and optical communications.
