EXFO

EXFO

Products	Network testing: optical, transport, datacom, copper, xDSL, IP triple-play R&D and manufacturing testing: 3G, LTE optical, transport, datacom, IMS, VoIP Service assurance: Monitoring systems for voice, video, data and mobile services

EXFO is a telecommunications company that develops test, monitoring and analytics equipment and software for fixed and mobile network operators, hyperscaler companies, and leaders in the manufacturing, development and research sector.^[1] EXFO is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada and has approximately 2,000 employees in 25 countries.^[2]

EXFO was founded in 1985 as EXFO Génie Électro-Optique by entrepreneur Germain Lamonde^[3] after completing his master's degree in optics at Université Laval.^[4][5] The company's first products were handheld wattmeters and optical source testers, followed by handheld instruments for measuring fiber integrity.^[5] In 1996, EXFO started designing products for optical component and optical system research and development and manufacturing.

In 2000, EXFO became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ and the TSX.^[6] In 2001, EXFO acquired Avantas Networks Corporation for approximately US$65 million.^[7] This acquisition allowed EXFO to serve the fiber optic protocol layer testing sector, increasing its market size.^[7]

Between 2006 and 2009, EXFO acquired Consultronics Ltd., a copper network testing company whose offering complemented EXFO's existing fiber optic products.^[8][9] It also acquired Swedish company PicoSolve, which manufactures ultra-high-speed optical sampling oscilloscopes for 40G and 100G networks.^[10][11] Also at this time, EXFO opened a manufacturing plant in Shenzhen China, the company's first such facility beyond Canada.^[12] Between 2010 and 2016, EXFO grew rapidly through acquisitions, adding NetHawk in 2010^[13] and ByteSphere and Aito Technologies^[14] in 2014.These acquisitions allowed EXFO to add a range of complementary software to its physical products.^[14] In 2016, EXFO acquired Absolute Analysis, a manufacturer of test equipment for RF networks.^[15][16]

In 2017, Philippe Morin was appointed CEO of EXFO by Germain Lamonde, who became Executive Chairman of the Board.^[17][18] In the same year, EXFO acquired Yenista Optics, a manufacturer of optical laboratory equipment located in Lannion, France,^[19][20][21] and Ontology Systems.^[22][23]

In 2018, EXFO concluded its initial public offering for French company Astellia,^[18] a network virtualization expert with a strong presence in the Middle East, Africa and Europe headquartered in Rennes and with offices in Valencia, Spain.^[24] In an interview, Philippe Morin emphasized the strategic nature of this acquisition: "We have just strengthened our presence in wireless ahead of the advent of 5G.”^[25][16]

In 2019, EXFO joined the O-RAN alliance, a group of network operators including AT&T, China Mobile and Deutsche Telekom whose goal is to create standards for smart RF access networks (smart RANs) to facilitate the deployment of 5G networks.^[26]  

EXFO acquired InOpticals in September 2020, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of 400G and 800G laboratory test instruments.^[27]      

In September 2021, EXFO's founder Germain Lamonde privatized the company, delisting it from the stock exchanges.^[28]

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