Keysight to acquire Spirent for $1.46bn

Publicly listed Spirent had earlier agreed to a deal with Viavi, but revised its strategy after receiving an improved offer from Keysight. Viavi had bid USD 1.3 billion, but later Keysight came in with a cash offer of USD 1.463 billion. The cash consideration of 199 pence per  share  values Spirent at approximately USD 1,463 million.

In a statement, Keysight said its views Spirent’s business as highly aligned with its long-term software-centric solutions strategy. Keysight offers design, emulation and test solutions to customers in communications, industrial automation, aerospace and defence, automotive, semiconductor and general electronics markets. Spirent specialises in automated test and assurance solutions for telco networks. 

Keysight believes incorporation of Spirent will open up market opportunities of up to USD 1.5 billion.

Satish Dhanasekaran, President & Chief Executive Officer of Keysight, said: “Spirent has a differentiated portfolio, which is a strong fit for Keysight. Both companies share a common focus on empowering and accelerating high-value solutions for customers…our superior offer recognises the value of Spirent’s achievements to-date, and the exciting prospects of the combination of our complementary product portfolios to provide end-to-end solutions for customers across their lifecycle needs.”