Molex buys Nistica for wavelength selective switches

Molex says it has purchased wavelength selective switch (WSS) developer Nistica. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition enables Molex to expand the optical module portfolio it gained when it bought Oplink in 2014 via Koch Industries, which took Molex private the previous year (see "Molex to go private upon acquisition by Koch Industries" and “Koch to buy Oplink, pair it with Molex, as trade activity raises eyebrows”).

The Bridgewater, NJ, based Nistica was founded in 2005 with an emphasis on metro ROADM technology (see “Optical subsystem startup Nistica secures funding”). Most recently, the company demonstrated a Bernoulli optical switching platform at OFC 2018 (see "Nistica introduces Bernoulli optical switching platform for data center and 5G wireless networks"). Fujikura purchased the company in 2012 ("Fujikura to acquire WSS vendor Nistica"); it has not commented on its decision to sell it to Molex.

“Tremendous growth in broadband consumption is driving new innovations in the telecommunications industry,” said Tim Ruff, senior vice president, Molex Business Development. “The Nistica acquisition offers Molex a unique value proposition by deepening technical engagement and complementing our extensive solutions portfolio for customers on the forefront of developing next-generation optical architectures. This exciting technology aligns well with our Molex growth strategy.”

"With the build-out of 5G wireless networks and the growth in data center traffic, our customers are looking for novel optical solutions at the edge and in the core of optical networks," added Ashish Vengsarkar, CEO of Nistica. "The acquisition by Molex enables us to scale in capacity and bring a comprehensive portfolio of next-generation products to the market.”

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