EXFO

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]

EXFO develops test, monitoring, and analytics equipment and sotfware for fixed and mobile network operators, hyperscale companies, and equipment manufacturers in the global communications industry. Its products include equipment, software, and services related to the deployment and optimization of 4G/LTE, 5G, cloud-native and fiber optic networks. EXFO offers two main categories of products: test and measurement, and service assurance.

EXFO provides solutions for the following customer categories:

• Communication service providers
• MSO via cable (multiple system operators)
• Network equipment manufacturers (NEM)
• Hyperscale enterprises and data center operators
• Systems integrators
• Contractors
• Government and academic & research institutions

• 2020 Lightwave Innovation Reviews - 2 categories[32][33]
• 2019 Cabling Innovators Awards - Silver[34]
• BTR (Broadband Technology Report) 2019 Diamonds review[35]
• TM Forum 2018 Outstanding Catalyst Innovation Award[36]
• Catalyst Team Award 2018 TM Forum[36]
• MEF 3.0 Framework Proof of Concept Award 2018
• MEF 3.0 Framework Technology Solutions Award for Service Assurance 2018[37]
• 2018 Network Virtualization Europe: Best Service Assurance Solution
• 2018 Frost & Sullivan Customer Value Leadership Award[38]