EXFO
Encyclopedia
EXFO is a provider of test and service assurance
solutions for wireless and wireline network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The Telecom Division, which accounts for about 90% of the company’s revenues, offers a range of products to assess fixed and mobile networks, from the core to access, as well as next-generation IP
infrastructures and related triple play services
. The Life Sciences and Industrial Division offers solutions in medical device and opto-electronics assembly, fluorescence microscopy and other life science sectors. EXFO is headquartered in Quebec City
, Canada
. As of July 2010, the company has over 1600 employees worldwide.
s and network equipment manaufacturers use these products to design, deploy and monitor their network architectures and the services that they support. The company serves over 2000 customers in 100 countries.
and production cycles, network equipment manufacturers must measure the performance of their systems and components against network operator requirements. EXFO’s test instruments cover:
Over the past several years, EXFO has enhanced its competitive position through acquisitions of wireless, protocol, copper/xDSL and service assurance test businesses.
, 3G
and 4G/LTE protocol analyzers and simulators aimed mostly at network equipment manufacturers and network operators.
In February 2009, EXFO closed the acquisition of Sweden-based PicoSolve Inc., a supplier of ultra-high-speed optical sampling oscilloscopes for 40G and 100G R&D, manufacturing and deployment applications.
In April 2008, EXFO acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Brix Networks Inc. (renamed EXFO Service Assurance Inc.). Brix Networks, a privately held company located in the Boston, MA area, offers VoIP and IPTV service assurance solutions across the three areas most affecting the success of a real-time service: signaling quality (signaling path performance), delivery quality (media transport performance) and content quality (overall quality of experience). Brix Networks’ service assurance solutions are mainly designed for network service providers (NSPs) and large enterprises.
In March 2008, EXFO acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Navtel Communications Inc. This privately held company based in Toronto, Canada, is a leading provider of Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) and VoIP test solutions for network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and NSP labs. Navtel Communications specializes in testing next-generation IP networks that are increasingly combining wireline and wireless
technologies. Subsequent to the acquisition, Navtel Communications was merged into the parent company.
In January 2006, EXFO acquired substantially all the assets of Consultronics Limited (now merged with the parent company), a leading supplier of test equipment for copper-based broadband access networks. Above and beyond copper/xDSL test solutions, Consultronics had a rich product portfolio for testing next-generation technologies, such as IPTV and VoIP, which are critical for NSPs in their deployment of triple-play services (voice, data, video) over optical and copper links in access networks.
In November 2001, EXFO acquired Avantas Networks Corporation (renamed EXFO Protocol Inc. and now merged with the parent company), a supplier of protocol-testing and optical-network performance management equipment for NSPs. This transaction enabled EXFO to combine optical and protocol test modules inside a single field-portable test platform in order to help customers increase revenues and reduce operating costs.
In October 2002, EXFO’s wholly owned subsidiary, EXFO Gnubi, purchased substantially all the assets of gnubi communications, L.P., a supplier of multichannel telecom and datacom testing solutions for the system manufacturer market. EXFO Protocol and EXFO Gnubi were consolidated in Montreal, Canada, in fiscal 2004.
Previously, EXFO had completed two acquisitions to bolster growth in the optical component manufacturing market. The company acquired Burleigh Instruments, Inc. (renamed EXFO Burleigh Products Group Inc.) in December 2000 for its wavelength measurement instruments and nanopositioning alignment systems. It also added EFOS Inc. (renamed EXFO Photonic Solutions Inc.) in March 2001 for its precision light-based, adhesive spot-curing technology. EXFO has since exited the optical component manufacturing automation business, and the remaining operations of EXFO Burleigh have mostly been consolidated with those of EXFO’s Life Sciences and Industrial Division in Toronto, Canada.
Service assurance
Service assurance, in telecommunications, is the application of policies and processes by a Communications Service Provider to ensure that services offered over networks meet a pre-defined service quality level for an optimal subscriber experience....
solutions for wireless and wireline network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The Telecom Division, which accounts for about 90% of the company’s revenues, offers a range of products to assess fixed and mobile networks, from the core to access, as well as next-generation IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
infrastructures and related triple play services
Triple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
. The Life Sciences and Industrial Division offers solutions in medical device and opto-electronics assembly, fluorescence microscopy and other life science sectors. EXFO is headquartered in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As of July 2010, the company has over 1600 employees worldwide.
Technology expertise and market coverage
EXFO’s products include wireless network simulators and protocol analyzers, transport and datacom, optical, xDSL, copper, IMS and VoIP test instruments, as well as and service assurance systems. network service providerNetwork service provider
A network service provider is a business or organization that sells bandwidth or network access by providing direct backbone access to the Internet and usually access to its network access points...
s and network equipment manaufacturers use these products to design, deploy and monitor their network architectures and the services that they support. The company serves over 2000 customers in 100 countries.
Network design
Throughout the research and developmentResearch and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
and production cycles, network equipment manufacturers must measure the performance of their systems and components against network operator requirements. EXFO’s test instruments cover:
- 2G, 3G and 4G network simulationNetwork simulationIn communication and computer network research, network simulation is a technique where a program models the behavior of a network either by calculating the interaction between the different network entities using mathematical formulas, or actually capturing and playing back observations from a...
, load testingLoad testingLoad testing is the process of putting demand on a system or device and measuring its response. Load testing is performed to determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions. It helps to identify the maximum operating capacity of an application as well as any...
and protocol analysis - IP Multimedia SubsystemIP Multimedia SubsystemThe IP Multimedia Subsystem or IP Multimedia Core Network Subsystem is an architectural framework for delivering Internet Protocol multimedia services. It was originally designed by the wireless standards body 3rd Generation Partnership Project , as a part of the vision for evolving mobile...
and Voice over IPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
testing - 40 Gbit/s SONET/SDH testing
- 100 Gigabit Ethernet100 Gigabit Ethernet40 Gigabit Ethernet, or 40GbE, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, or 100GbE, are high-speed computer network standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . They support sending Ethernet frames at 40 and 100 gigabits per second over multiple 10 Gbit/s or 25 Gbit/s lanes...
testing - Optical Transport NetworkOptical Transport NetworkITU-T defines an Optical Transport Network as a set of Optical Network Elements connected by optical fibre links, able to provide functionality of transport, multiplexing, switching, management, supervision and survivability of optical channels carrying client signals...
and Fibre ChannelFibre ChannelFibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel is standardized in the T11 Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards , an American National Standards Institute –accredited standards...
testing - Advanced optical testing
Network deployment
Throughout network construction, activation and maintenance, operators and service providers must run tests to validate the performance of their architectures. EXFO’s test instruments cover:- 40 Gbit/s SONET/SDH and OTN testing
- 100 Gbit/s Ethernet and Fibre Channel testing
- Fiber characterization
- Advanced optical testing
- Copper-based xDSL and triple-play testing
Service assurance
Once networks are operational, service providers must monitor them to verify that subscribers get the level of performance that is expected. EXFO’s service assurance systems enable:- Service assurance correlation and analysis
- VoIP call performance analysis
- IPTVIPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
service assurance - End-to-end service assurance
- Advanced analytics and reporting
Foundation
EXFO was founded in 1985 in Quebec City, Canada. Its original products were field-portable testing products for the installation, maintenance, monitoring and troubleshooting of optical networks. In 1996, EXFO supplemented its product portfolio with an extensive line of high-end products that are mainly for research and development as well as manufacturing activities of optical component manufacturers and system vendors.Over the past several years, EXFO has enhanced its competitive position through acquisitions of wireless, protocol, copper/xDSL and service assurance test businesses.
Acquisitions
On March 12, 2010, EXFO acquired 91% of all issued and outstanding shares of NetHawk Oyj. In addition, on March 15, 2010, EXFO made a voluntary offer to purchase the remaining issued and outstanding shares. Headquartered in Oulu, Finland, NetHawk Oyj was a privately held company providing 2G2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
, 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
and 4G/LTE protocol analyzers and simulators aimed mostly at network equipment manufacturers and network operators.
In February 2009, EXFO closed the acquisition of Sweden-based PicoSolve Inc., a supplier of ultra-high-speed optical sampling oscilloscopes for 40G and 100G R&D, manufacturing and deployment applications.
In April 2008, EXFO acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Brix Networks Inc. (renamed EXFO Service Assurance Inc.). Brix Networks, a privately held company located in the Boston, MA area, offers VoIP and IPTV service assurance solutions across the three areas most affecting the success of a real-time service: signaling quality (signaling path performance), delivery quality (media transport performance) and content quality (overall quality of experience). Brix Networks’ service assurance solutions are mainly designed for network service providers (NSPs) and large enterprises.
In March 2008, EXFO acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Navtel Communications Inc. This privately held company based in Toronto, Canada, is a leading provider of Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) and VoIP test solutions for network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and NSP labs. Navtel Communications specializes in testing next-generation IP networks that are increasingly combining wireline and wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
technologies. Subsequent to the acquisition, Navtel Communications was merged into the parent company.
In January 2006, EXFO acquired substantially all the assets of Consultronics Limited (now merged with the parent company), a leading supplier of test equipment for copper-based broadband access networks. Above and beyond copper/xDSL test solutions, Consultronics had a rich product portfolio for testing next-generation technologies, such as IPTV and VoIP, which are critical for NSPs in their deployment of triple-play services (voice, data, video) over optical and copper links in access networks.
In November 2001, EXFO acquired Avantas Networks Corporation (renamed EXFO Protocol Inc. and now merged with the parent company), a supplier of protocol-testing and optical-network performance management equipment for NSPs. This transaction enabled EXFO to combine optical and protocol test modules inside a single field-portable test platform in order to help customers increase revenues and reduce operating costs.
In October 2002, EXFO’s wholly owned subsidiary, EXFO Gnubi, purchased substantially all the assets of gnubi communications, L.P., a supplier of multichannel telecom and datacom testing solutions for the system manufacturer market. EXFO Protocol and EXFO Gnubi were consolidated in Montreal, Canada, in fiscal 2004.
Previously, EXFO had completed two acquisitions to bolster growth in the optical component manufacturing market. The company acquired Burleigh Instruments, Inc. (renamed EXFO Burleigh Products Group Inc.) in December 2000 for its wavelength measurement instruments and nanopositioning alignment systems. It also added EFOS Inc. (renamed EXFO Photonic Solutions Inc.) in March 2001 for its precision light-based, adhesive spot-curing technology. EXFO has since exited the optical component manufacturing automation business, and the remaining operations of EXFO Burleigh have mostly been consolidated with those of EXFO’s Life Sciences and Industrial Division in Toronto, Canada.
Competitors
- JDSU
- Fluke CorporationFluke CorporationFluke Corporation, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation, is a manufacturer of industrial testing equipment including electronic test equipment. It was started in 1948 by John Fluke, Sr., a friend and roommate of David Packard, future co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, when both were employed at...
- AnritsuAnritsuis a Japanese corporation that is in the test and measurement market. Products include microwave, RF, and optical signal generators , spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers. It was formed with the merger of two companies, the Annaka Corporation and Kyoritsu Electric in Japan in 1931. In 1990...
- Kingfisher International Pty LtdKingfisher International Pty LtdKingfisher International Pty Ltd is an Australian company that manufactures fiber optic test and measurement equipment. First established in the founder's home in 1986, its first commercially successful product was the innovative KI020 series talk set, introduced in 1988...
- Southern Photonics