iXblue acquires Kylia, Muquans to expand photonics and quantum technologies capabilities

May 20, 2021

Together, the new assets should generate a turnover of more than 35 million euros in instruments, lasers, and advanced photonics components, iXblue expects.

Stephen Hardy

French high-tech company iXblue, which supplies technology for navigation, photonics and space, and maritime autonomy applications, has expanded its product range via the acquisition of Kylia and Muquans. The former specializes in optical components and instruments while the later develops integrated quantum instruments. Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.

Both of the acquired companies are based in France. Kylia was founded in 2003 and is located in Pessac in the New Aquitaine region of France and in Paris. The company made an early mark working on receivers and other components for coherent transmission as well as multiplexers (see, for example, “Kylia introduces integration-ready coherent receivers” and “Kylia offers DWDM multiplexers for high-bit-rate metro networks”). Its optical components currently are used for fiber-optic telecommunications, metrology, and space systems development.

Muquans, founded in 2011 and based in Talence, also in the New Aquitaine region, is the first company to exploit laser-cooled quantum manipulation techniques on an industrial scale, iXblue asserts. Products based on this technology include a quantum gravimeter, an atomic clock, frequency transfer systems over fiber, and very high performance laser systems.

Together, the new assets should generate a turnover of more than 35 million euros in instruments, lasers, and advanced photonics components, iXblue expects. "This merger is a concrete expression of iXblue's strategy to position itself even more strongly in the photonics market and to become a major player,” stated Fabien Napolitano, CEO of iXblue. “The combination of iXblue with Kylia and Muquans will enable new synergies to arise from the extraordinary variety of technologies that will be at the core of our offering in this field. It also allows iXblue to be active in the New Aquitaine region, at the heart of a rich ecosystem around lasers and optics.”

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.

For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.