Ixia Pte, Limited is a test and measurement company specialising in areas like network testing and monitoring, and security management. The company offers a wide range of test and measurement solutions covering IP networks, wireless and Wi-Fi testing. In an interview with tele.net.in Naveen Bhat, vice-president and general manager, Asia Pacific, Ixia Pte, Limited talks about the company?s growth in test and measurement market in India and the trends in the Indian telecom market.
Edited excerpts?
How has the company performed over the last year in India? Please mention specific milestones.
Ixia entered the India market in 2005 and since then, the country has been contributing significantly to our global business.
The company has established research and development and sales offices in India and has registered an over 35 per cent growth in revenues per year on an average. For 2014, we are aiming at increasing our revenues by 40 per cent over the previous year. We are well on our way to achieving this target.
The company has invested over $30 million in India, with over 250 engineers developing the company’s testing, measurement, security and monitoring solutions. Ixia India’s development centers are located in Bangalore and Kolkata.
What are the company’s targets in India?
We have a significant presence in the L2-3 test and measurement business segment and are gaining ground in the wireless and Wi-Fi testing and measurement space. We are also aiming at consolidating our presence in the fast emerging LTE market.
With the acquisition of Breaking Point Systems (a high end manufacturer of cyber security test and assessment solutions), we also aim to establish ourselves in the cyber security test and assessment space.
We are also developing various hardware and software platforms to test and assess products for the Indian market.
What is on your regulatory wish list in the country?
We think that more stringent regulations are required in the network security space. Regulatory authorities could stipulate that all defense and enterprise networks ought to pass certain levels of security audits to ensure national and business interests are safeguarded.
Also, greater focus on quality of experience is required. On an average, an Indian customer’s experience while using mobile services has been fairly low as compared to international standards.
As a test assessment and monitoring company, our role would be to help customers adhere to existing regulations and to help regulating agencies assess and monitor all equipment, services and enterprise users.
What are the main challenges before the company in India?
The key challenges we are facing today are educating enterprises, the government and service providers about the requirements and benefits of a testing, assessment and optimisation strategy and increasing our market share in these sectors.
How would you compare India to international markets, in terms of technology uptake?
The Indian test and measurement market has seen significant growth. This has been driven by global demand and increasing investments in design, research and development and manufacturing for markets such as telecom, aerospace, defense, automotive, consumer electronics, contract-manufacturing and semiconductors.
A few key technological trends driving the test and measurement industry in India include urbanisation, growing infrastructure, the advent of wireless communications (3G, 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), the availability of audio and video in consumer electronics devices, and smart and green technologies. This has been accelerating the demand for new technology testing solutions.
What technology trends do you foresee in the Indian telecom space?
The Indian telecom space is growing significantly and has fueled the demand for the testing industry. Security assessment and training and LTE will be key growth trends in India. We are already witnessing interest in testing these technologies and have started working with several Indian customers on the same. Moreover, with the constant roll out of new infrastructure, next generation services and networks, there will be continuous demand for test and measure solutions in India.
