Anite sees growth in second half

Test and measurement company Anite reported that after a challenging first half in handset testing, it saw improved performance to finish out its fiscal year. Overall, its revenues dropped slightly from last year.
The company said its network testing business was strong throughout the past year. Anite recently sold its travel-related segment in order to focus solely on the wireless market.
Anite reported revenues for the year of about $149 million, compared to about $154 million in the previous year.
Anite said in a statement accompanying its results that it “had a disappointing first half, notably in our handset testing business where market growth was interrupted and we, along with other vendors, experienced a reduction in revenue. This was primarily caused by a lack of revenue generating catalysts due to two factors, firstly a well-documented consolidation in our customer base due to merger and acquisition activity and secondly, a notable lack of specific technology drivers which tend to drive orders and revenue. There was also an expected decline in 2G/3G business.”
Operating profit was nearly $21 million, down from about $40 million in its prior fiscal year. However, Anite said that its orders ended the year up 14%.
Anite also said that it sees more demand for testing due to the evolution toward more complex mobile networks and devices and the growth in mobile data traffic.
“In addition, new technology is enabling operators to collect, report and analyse more customer experience and network performance data from multiple sources which can then be fed back into network improvements to optimize the customer’s experience. These drivers increase the level and quantity of testing that needs to be undertaken by our customers to ensure the quality of new devices and mobile networks,” Anite noted.