GN Nettest Acquires Photonetics in Billion-Dollar Deal

HOPKINTON, Mass., Oct. 2 -- GN Nettest has acquired 100 percent of Photonetics S.A., a supplier of instruments for testing and measuring the performance of dense wavelength division multiplexing systems and components. The board of GN Great Nordic, GN Nettest's parent company, approved the acquisition, and has also agreed to the possibility of an initial public offering of GN Nettest's sock during the first quarter of 2001.
This acquisition should be seen as a follow on to last year's acquisition of PK Technologies, said Jens Maaloe, president and CEO of GN Nettest. With PK Technologies, we acquired a range of all-optical network testing products making GN Nettest the leading supplier of test equipment and systems in connection with optical fiber production and the laying of optical fiber cables. With the purchase of Photonetics, we have now added a number of patented technologies together with vital testing products for dense wavelengths division multiplexing, a technology that dramatically boosts the transmission capacity of optical fiber networks.
GN Nettest is a supplier of test and measurement equipment, systems and related services designed to enhance communication network capability. The company's headquarters is located in Copenhagen, Denmark.