CommScope

CommScope
Public
Traded as NASDAQ: COMM
Industry Telecommunications
Founded 1976
Founder Frank M. Drendel
Headquarters 1100 CommScope Place SE Hickory, North Carolina 28603, United States
Brands KRONE, AMP NetConnect, SYSTIMAX, Uniprise
Increase US$ 574 million (2016)[1]
Increase US$ 222.8 million (2016)[1]
Number of employees
 25,000[2]
Website www.commscope.com
CommScope Corporate Headquarters in Hickory, North Carolina

CommScope Inc., which opened in 1976, is a multi-national network infrastructure provider company based in Hickory, North Carolina, United States. CommScope is a 1997 spin-off of General Instrument and has over 25,000 employees worldwide, with customers in over 130 countries.

CommScope manufactures SYSTIMAX and Uniprise brands of Enterprise infrastructure of copper Unshielded Twisted Pair cabling, connector panels, jacks and fiber optic cabling, connector panels, racking and metals. CommScope also manufactures environmentally secure cabinets for FTTN and DSL applications.

History[3]

In 1975, CommScope was a product line of Superior Continental Cable. At 29-years-old, Frank Drendel headed a team charged with selling the failing product line. Frank Drendel and Jearld Leonhardt founded CommScope in August 1976 after raising $5.1 million to purchase the CommScope product line. Two years later, CommScope and Valtech merged under the Valtech name. In 1979, Valtech donated fiber optics line and equipment to link the U.S. House of Representatives to the C-SPAN studios, enabling live broadcasting of U.S. Congressional proceedings for the first time.

Continuing in the 1980s, Valtech sold to M/A-COM, Inc. and CommScope becomes part of the Cable Home Group for M/A-COM. In 1983, CommScope formed the Network Cable division for the local area network, data communications, television-receive only and specialized wire markets. In 1986, M/A-COM, Inc. sells, the Cable Home Group to General Instrument Corporation. CommScope becomes a division of General Instrument. Frank Drendel received an Emmy award in 1986 for his work on anti-pirating VideoCipher technology.

In 1990, CommScope opened a new manufacturing facility in Claremont, North Carolina to answer the increased demand for unshielded twisted pair (copper telephone wiring), television receive-only cables (used for consumer satellite reception) and personal computer cables. 

In 1997, General Instrument split into three independent, publicly traded companies, one of which was CommScope. In July 1997, Frank Drendel rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange to announce CommScope going public.

In 2000, CommScope opens its new global headquarters in Hickory, North Carolina. In 2004, CommScope acquires Avaya's Connectivity Solutions business and inherits the SYSTIMAX brand, a globally recognized world leader in enterprise cabling systems. Avaya’s Carrier Solutions – which offered products designed for switching and transmission applications in telephone central offices and secure environmental enclosures—also becomes a part of CommScope. This acquisition doubled the size of CommScope. In 2007, CommScope made another major transaction, acquiring global wireless infrastructure provider Andrew Corporation. Through its new Andrew brand, CommScope becomes a global leader in radio frequency subsystem solutions for wireless networks and again doubled CommScope’s. In 2011, the Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager, acquired CommScope. This acquisition makes CommScope privately owned by the Carlyle Group and removed from the New York Stock Exchange. This acquisition also changed the executive structure at CommScope. Eddie Edwards was appointed president and chief executive officer, succeeding Frank Drendel, who served as CommScope’s CEO since the company’s founding in 1976. Drendel continued as the chairman of the board. 

In October 25, 2015, CommScope celebrated its initial public offering as the NASDAQ. In 2015, CommScope acquires TE Connectivity’s Broadband Network Solutions (BNS) division. It positioned CommScope as a leading communications infrastructure provider with deeper resources to meet the world’s growing demand for network bandwidth. The acquisition strengthened CommScope to serve customers in four major areas: indoor and outdoor wireless networks; data centers and central offices; connected and efficient buildings; and access and backhaul networks.

Also in 2015, CommScope acquired Airvana, a privately held leader in small cell solutions for wireless networks. The acquisition expanded CommScope’s leadership and capabilities in providing indoor wireless capacity and coverage, an increasingly important market opportunity that is growing due to consumers and businesses’ insatiable demand for wireless data.  

In November 2016, the Carlyle Group announced the sale of its remaining stock.

In the News

On October 25, 2010, The Carlyle Group announced it would pay $31.50 a share, or about $2.98 billion, to take CommScope private.[4]

In July 2011, CommScope received the 2010 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award from Technology Marketing Corporation for its product, Wired For Wireless.[5]

On August 2, 2013, CommScope filed with the SEC to raise up to $750 million in an initial public offering. The initial public offering and first public trading took place on October 25, 2013 at NASDAQ.[6]

On May 16, 2017, CommScope introduced a High Speed Migration platform. [7]

Acquisitions

In 2004 the company acquired Avaya's Connectivity Solutions business. The Avaya business acquisition included the legacy intellectual property and patents from Western Electric, AT&T, Lucent Technologies and Avaya.

In June 2007, CommScope acquired Andrew Corporation for $2.6 billion. Andrew's products included antennas, cables, amplifiers, repeaters, transceivers, as well as software and training for the broadband and cellular industries.[8]

In January 2015, CommScope agreed to purchase a unit of TE Connectivity for $3 billion. The transaction closed August 28, 2015.[9]

In October 2015, CommScope acquired Airvana,[10] a manufacturer of small cells and femtocells.

Board of directors

Management Team

References

  1. 1 2 "Form 10-K CommScope Holding Company, Inc.". Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Investor Relations". CommScope. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  3. ↑ CommScope (2016-08-03), CommScope History Video, retrieved 2017-06-19
  4. ↑ "CommScope in talks with Carlyle on $2.98B buyout". News & Record. Associated Press. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  5. ↑ "CommScope Receives 2010 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award | EON: Enhanced Online News". eon.businesswire.com. 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "CommScope Marks IPO, First Trading at NASDAQ Ceremony". www.commscope.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  7. ↑ "The Need for Speed". www.commscope.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  8. ↑ "CommScope to Acquire Andrew for $2.6 Billion". www.commscope.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  9. ↑ "CommScope Closes TE Connectivity Unit for $3 Billion". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  10. ↑ Goldstein, Phil (8 September 2015). "CommScope nabs small cell vendor Airvana with an eye on C-RAN deployments". Fierce Wireless. FierceMarkets. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Management Team". www.commscope.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  12. ↑ "Management Team". www.commscope.com. Retrieved 2017-06-02.


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