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VIAVI Solutions
VIAVI Solutions is a Nasdaq-listed network test and optical security company spun out of JDS Uniphase, supplying 5G instrumentation and banknote pigments.
VIAVI Solutions
VIAVI Solutions emerged from a corporate separation engineered by a company that once epitomized the dot-com bubble. JDS Uniphase, a fiber-optic component manufacturer valued at over $100 billion during the market peak, spun off its communications test and measurement unit in 2015 as an independent public entity (per the firm's official communications). The new company took the name VIAVI Solutions and shifted its headquarters from Milpitas, California to Chandler, Arizona. It now operates as a dual-segment business: Network Enablement, supplying instruments and software to build and maintain fiber and wireless networks, and Service Enablement, providing anti-counterfeiting optical pigments for banknotes and brand protection. The company sells into a concentrated set of customers that includes AT&T, Verizon, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Its test instruments measure 5G signal integrity; its optical filters, descended from JDSU's original thin-film technology, authenticate currency and discourage forgery. VIAVI holds a dominant position in banknote security features, supplying pigments for currencies including the U.S. dollar and the euro. Revenue in fiscal 2024 reached approximately $1 billion, split roughly 70-30 between network test and optical security products. Chief Executive Oleg Khaykin ran the company from 2016 until his retirement in 2025, overseeing acquisitions that consolidated the network testing industry. In December 2024, the company named Ilan Daskal as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, transitioning from a long-tenured finance leadership structure. VIAVI's largest shareholders are institutional investors including BlackRock and The Vanguard Group, with no single family or individual holding a controlling stake. VIAVI's structural differentiator is its dual-revenue lifecycle. When carriers build networks, VIAVI sells field test tools; when networks are operational, it sells monitoring software for the long term. Separately, its banknote pigment business operates on decade-long central-bank refresh cycles, creating a stable counterweight to the cyclical carrier capex that drives the network test division. This split gives the income statement an anti-fragile quality uncommon among telecom equipment peers.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Chandler
Corporate office
Chandler, AZ, United States
Frequently asked questions
Is VIAVI Solutions a family office or a public company?
VIAVI Solutions is a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker VIAV. It is not a single-family or multi-family office. The firm is a test-and-measurement equipment manufacturer and optical security supplier, with institutional shareholders including BlackRock and Vanguard holding the majority of its outstanding shares.
Why was the company spun out of JDS Uniphase?
JDS Uniphase separated its communications test-and-measurement business and optical security unit to create two more focused public companies in 2015. The network hardware components business remained with Lumentum Holdings, while the instruments and anti-counterfeiting division became VIAVI Solutions. The split aimed to let each successor pursue a simpler equity story.
What does VIAVI's optical security business actually do?
The optical security segment manufactures color-shifting pigments and overt authentication features used on banknotes, passports, and high-value product packaging. VIAVI pigments appear on the U.S. $100 bill and on dozens of other currencies globally. Central banks and commercial printers embed these features to make counterfeiting visually obvious.
What is VIAVI's known posture on acquisitions?
Under former CEO Oleg Khaykin, VIAVI pursued consolidation in network testing, acquiring instruments maker Anritsu's line and several smaller fiber-optic instrumentation firms. The company has historically used acquisitions to fill technology gaps in 5G and fiber monitoring rather than to enter entirely new markets.
Where does the bulk of VIAVI's revenue come from?
Roughly 70% of revenue comes from the Network Enablement segment, selling field test tools, lab instruments, and network monitoring software to telecom carriers, hyperscale cloud operators, and defense agencies. The remaining 30% comes from optical security pigments sold primarily to central banks and banknote printers.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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