U.S. to require asset divestitures for Keysight purchase of Spirent

(Reuters) -The U.S. government on Monday said it will require asset divestitures before allowing Keysight Technologies to complete its all-cash purchase of Spirent Communications.

In court filings, the U.S. Department of Justice said the proposed merger of two of the largest global providers of high speed ethernet testing, network security testing and radio frequency channel emulators might otherwise substantially lessen competition and harm customers, violating antitrust law.

Keysight, based in Santa Rosa, California, agreed in March 2024 to buy U.K.-based Spirent for 1.16 billion British pounds (now about $1.56 billion).

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)