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Keysight Technologies Inc on Tuesday said it had entered a consent decree with US Department of Justice concerning its proposal to buy Spirent Communications PLC. The Santa Rosa, US-based maker of electronic test equipment and software called this ‘an important milestone’ in its bid to acquire Spirent, the Crawley, UK-based test and assurance solutions provider. Back in April, Keysight reported that the completion date was delayed to July 31 from April 30, due to the DoJ’s review process. Spirent in March 2024 agreed to the takeover proposal, in which Keysight offered to buy the FTSE 250 firm for £1.16 billion, valuing Spirent at 201.50 pence per share. This beat a previous bid for £1.01 billion from Scottsdale, US-based network testing company Viavi Solutions Inc, which Spirent had accepted a few weeks prior. Keysight’s final proposal includes the sale of Spirent’s channel emulation business to Viavi. Keysight updated on Tuesday that the DoJ had filed a settlement proposal and asset preservation and hold separate stipulation and order, signalling that the deal is headed for approval. Viavi and Keysight are expected to announce an amendment agreement on or around Tuesday. The takeover of Spirent is expected to complete by July 31, shortly after which the sale to Viavi is expected to close. Keysight added that it continues to work with the DoJ and the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China to clear the acquisition as quickly as possible. The firm has been operating in China since 1985 as Hewlett Packard, and currently sources 44% of revenue from the Asia-Pacific region. Spirent shares were up 0.7% at 191.40 pence each on Tuesday morning in London. Shares in Keysight closed up 0.8% at $158.36 each on Monday in New York. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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