Member Article

Sales fall at Filtronic’s North East broadband arm

Sales have fallen at electronics manufacturer Filtronic’s Newton Aycliffe and Sedgefield broadband operations.

The Yorkshire-headquartered producer of microwave electronics products reported broadband sales of £3.6 million for the first half of 2014, compared with £4.5 million in the same period last year.

The fall was offset by an overall rise in operating profit before amortisation and exceptional items, from £0.1 million in H1 2013 to £1.7 million in H1 2014.

Revenues grew by 23% half-on-half as the firm’s wireless sales climbed from £11.9 million in H1 2013 to £16.5 million in H1 2014.

Commenting on the Outlook, Howard Ford, chairman, said: “The rollout of 4G/LTE networks is still in its early stages. Even in the USA, only 19% of handsets are yet equipped to receive 4G signals. In Europe, the penetration is much lower.

“The ability of consumers to enjoy 4G applications has become a key differentiating parameter for operators. This requirement will drive ongoing infrastructure investment by adding new frequency bands and increasing site density.

“Filtronic continues to invest in key technology areas in order to broaden its product range which addresses this growing 4G/LTE market.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .