Test and Measurement: Viavi opens new factory in Arizona

Viavi Solutions said this week that it has officially opened a new optical product facility in Chandler, Arizona. The new factory represents an expanded local presence for Viavi, which also moved its headquarters from California to Arizona’s “Optics Valley.”

The company said that the new production facility in Chandler features its “most modern and efficient optical coating capabilities.” The facility represents a capital investment of nearly $100 million, Viavi said adding that “a further $50 million [is] expected to be generated in payroll taxes for local and state governments following the creation of hundreds of new jobs. 

Viavi held a grand opening of the facility on November 10. Company President and CEO Oleg Khaykin said that Viavi Solutions “is a global company in every sense of the word. That means setting up in key locations around the world is critical to our success, and we’re always sure to contribute to the communities in which we operate. Establishing a major hub in Chandler, Arizona, will not only expand our involvement in the local optics ecosystem but ramp up our U.S. manufacturing capabilities considerably.”

In other test news:

–Keysight Technologies reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results. The test company saw revenues rise 11% year-over-year for the quarter to $1.44 billion, with net income up to $299 million, compared with $282 million in the year-ago period.

For the full year, Keysight achieved revenue growth of 10% compared to fiscal 2021, with full-year revenue of $5.42 billion. Profits for the full-year period hit more than a billion: $1.12 billion, compared with $894 million for fiscal 2021.

In terms of business segment performance, Keysight said that its Communications Solutions Group (CSG) reported revenue of $992 million in the fourth quarter, up 8% from the same period in 2021. Those results were “driven by 5G platform strength, continued O-RAN adoption, and investment in 800G and 1.6 Terabit R&D, as well as spectrum operations, cybersecurity, space, and satellite solutions,” the company said. Meanwhile, its Electronic Industrial Solutions Group (EISG) saw revenues jump 20% from the fourth quarter of 2021 to $451 million, based on growth from Keysight’s automotive, energy, general electronics and semiconductor solutions.

“Keysight’s exceptional fourth quarter performance capped off an outstanding record year. Strong execution by our teams again delivered results ahead of expectations, while navigating supply, geopolitical, and macro dynamics,” said Satish Dhanasekaran, Keysight’s president and CEO, adding: “Despite an uncertain macro environment, we remain confident in the resilience of our business, and the long-term secular growth trends across our markets.”

–Rohde & Schwarz announced this week that it is introducing several new options for power sensors, including diode power sensors for RF measurements up to 90 GHz and new options in its R&S NRP-Z8x wideband power sensor family that enable engineers to measure power levels from –60 dBm to +20 dBm at frequencies from 50 MHz to 50 GHz, plus LAN interfaces for its R&S NRP thermal power sensor family.

-ICYMI: Opensignal explored the fixed broadband experience in 25 U.S. cities, a process that ultimately led to several key findings. The report is the first of its kind because it includes both wired and 5G Fixed Wireless Access, due to the introduction of that service in a range of markets, plus the historic government funding partially aimed at closing the digital divide. More details here.

-Meanwhile, Dish Wireless has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to experiment with CBRS outdoor power transmission limits that go beyond those currently allowed. According to Dish’s Special Temporary Authority filing, the technical study is being conducted with assistance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) lab; the testing will be conducted at the Table Mountain Radio Quiet Zone outside Boulder, Colorado, near NIST’s Colorado facility. Read more in this piece.