CommScope Acquires QAM Vendor LiquidxStream

Cable and telecom equipment vendor CommScope has acquired LiquidxStream Systems, a maker of dense universal edge quadrature amplitude modulation systems for cable operators.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The deal is the first for CommScope since the company went private in a $3.9 billion deal with private equity firm Carlyle Group that closed in October 2010.

Montreal, Canada-based LiquidxStream was founded in 2005. Its board members included Pascal Tremblay, general partner at Novacap; Chris Bowick, former CTO of Cox Communications; Peter Percosan, CTO of Cable Europe Labs; and Mario Pittarelli, former VP of corporate engineering at Vidéotron.

A universal edge QAM is designed to support multiple digital cable services, including linear video, video-on-demand, switched digital video, DOCSIS and IP video traffic.

CommScope plans to integrate LiquidxStream's QAM technology into its broadband solution portfolio that includes business service solutions, cable/conduit solutions, fiber and subscriber solutions.

"This acquisition is part of CommScope's strategy to continue to expand our broadband product offerings to deliver complete solutions for our multisystem operator (MSO) customers," CommScope senior vice president of broadband Ric Johnsen said in announcing the acquisition.

"Our team is enthusiastic about joining CommScope and becoming such an integral part of its advanced broadband solution offering," LiquidxStream president and CEO Francois Laflamme said in a statement. "We look forward to having CommScope rapidly expand the reach of our universal edge QAM solution into a thriving and evolving market place."