In another merger driven by the rapidly changing world of media and communications, Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ) has bought Ortel Corp. (Alhambra, CA) in a deal worth approximately $2.95 billion.
The purchase, which is expected to be completed during the quarter that will end June 30, will give Lucent access to Ortel's optoelectronic components for cable television networks. Lucent said the purchase will help move CATV networks from one-way broadcast to a two-way interactive medium. Ortel is a supplier to CATV equipment manufacturers General Instrument (Horsham, PA) and Antec (Duluth, GA), among others that it is contractually bound not to disclose.
Lucent will also gain Ortel's uncooled 980-nm pump lasers for amplifiers in metropolitan area networks as well as 10 Gbit/s transceiver components for optical networking.
"This acquisition marries our communications optoelectronics leadership with Ortel's expertise in optoelectronics for cable TV, and positions us to support the converging needs of these markets," said John Dickson, CEO of Lucent's Microelectronics and Communications Technologies unit.