HUBER+SUHNER to Acquire BKtel Group

HUBER+SUHNER have signed a purchase agreement to acquire German fiber optic specialist BKtel for approximately $50 million. The deal is subject to the approval of the German Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) and is expected to close in December. The acquisition will be financed exclusively from the company’s own funds.

BKtel has three locations in Germany and holds majority participations in two companies in France and Japan. The company was founded in 1997 as part of a management buy-out by former employees of Alcatel Kabel Deutschland. In addition to the founders, who own the majority of BKtel, BWK Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft is also among the owners. The company’s product range includes optical transmission devices such as transmitters, amplifiers, and receivers as well as cable TV headends and radio frequency amplifiers.

BKtel Photonics in France is a leader in various optical amplifier and fiber laser technologies that are used both in optical transmission technology and in the future-oriented field of 3D scanners (lidar), for example in 3D landscape scanning or for surveying vehicle surroundings during autonomous driving.

“The acquisition will significantly strengthen our position in the core market WAN/Access Networks,” Urs Ryffel, CEO of HUBER+SUHNER, said. “BKtel has a strong position with important network operators in Germany. This will enable us in future to offer these customers complete network solutions consisting of active and passive components from a single source. The BKtel know-how ideally complements the existing competencies of HUBER+SUHNER with active access network components and data laser technology.”

HUBER+SUHNER is a developer and manufacturer of components and system solutions for electrical and optical connectivity.