Skip to main content
Published on 

EXFO Acquires Assets of Aito Technologies


EXFO Inc. announced today it has acquired the business of Aito Technologies, a leading provider of customer experience analytics for mobile network operators (MNOs), through an asset purchase deal.

QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, June 19, 2014 — EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO, TSX: EXF) announced today it has acquired the business of Aito Technologies, a leading provider of customer experience analytics for mobile network operators (MNOs), through an asset purchase deal.

Based in Espoo, Finland, Aito Technologies offers out-of-the-box customer experience analytics software that unifies business, network, product and customer data for real-time analysis, discovery, reaction and decision support for a wide range of users and decision-makers within a wireless operator organization.

Tracking and improving customer experience has become a primary focus throughout the mobile industry as the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, coupled with an explosion in streaming video, new services and applications, are fueling an exponential increase in data traffic and network complexity. Against this backdrop, MNOs must consistently provide superior quality of experience (QoE) at a lower cost in order to retain their most profitable customers. Consequently, end-to-end visibility and analytics are becoming mission-critical to assure high-performance service delivery.

EXFO will combine the powerful analytics software capabilities of Aito Technologies with its wide range of wireless products, systems and solutions to provide MNOs with heightened, end-to-end visibility of their 3G and 4G/LTE network infrastructures. Aito Technologies’ analytics software allows network engineers to drill down to data gathered from multiple sources, including end-user and data-plane information from passive probes like EXFO’s dual 10G line-rate capture PowerHawk Pro. In addition, analyzed data is cross-correlated with information from CRM databases, network elements and operations support systems in order to provide MNOs deep visibility into the end-to-end experience of subscribers.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“Aito Technologies’ software suite is already deployed at about 10 wireless operators globally, helping them obtain actionable information to better manage customer experience over their 3G and 4G/LTE networks,” said Germain Lamonde, EXFO’s Chairman, President and CEO. “We are combining Aito’s capabilities with EXFO’s suite of instruments, systems and solutions—especially with our powerful wireless PowerHawk Pro analyzers—that will provide MNOs with contextually relevant analytics and valuable insight to improve end-user quality of experience, enhance network performance and drive operational efficiencies.”

About EXFO

Listed on the NASDAQ and TSX stock exchanges, EXFO is a leading provider of next-generation test, service assurance and end-to-end quality of experience solutions for mobile and fixed network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. EXFO’s intelligent solutions with contextually relevant analytics improve end-user quality of experience, enhance network performance and drive operational efficiencies throughout the network and service delivery lifecycle. Key technologies supported include 3G, 4G/LTE, VoLTE, IMS, video, Ethernet/IP, SNMP, OTN, FTTx, xDSL and various optical technologies accounting for more than 38% of the global portable fiber-optic test market. EXFO has a staff of approximately 1600 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical information or statements of current condition. Words such as may, expect, believe, plan, anticipate, intend, could, estimate, continue, or similar expressions or the negative of such expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statement that refers to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events and circumstances are considered forward-looking statements. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements due to various factors including, but not limited to, macroeconomic uncertainty as well as capital spending and network deployment levels in the telecommunications industry (including our ability to quickly adapt cost structures with anticipated levels of business and our ability to manage inventory levels with market demand); future economic, competitive, financial and market conditions; consolidation in the global telecommunications test and service assurance industry and increased competition among vendors; capacity to adapt our future product offering to future technological changes; limited visibility with regards to customer orders and the timing of such orders; fluctuating exchange rates; concentration of sales; timely release and market acceptance of our new products and other upcoming products; our ability to successfully expand international operations; our ability to successfully integrate businesses that we acquire; and the retention of key technical and management personnel. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments and risks, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Other risk factors that may affect our future performance and operations are detailed in our Annual Report, on Form 20-F, and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities commissions. We believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information currently available to us, but we cannot assure that the expectations will prove to have been correct. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this document. Unless required by law or applicable regulations, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any of them to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this document.