On Oct. 21, Calabasas-based Ixia, provider of test systems for Internet Protocol (IP)-based infrastructure and services, announced it will be acquiring Agilent Technologies’ N2X Data Networks Product Line. The $44 million cash transaction is scheduled to close on Oct. 30. It includes certain assets of the N2X product line, Agilent’s international customer base for the product, and the company’s sales and research and development teams. Ixia picks-up 200 Agilent employees in the deal who are located in Australia, Canada and India. This adds to the company’s base of more than 700 employees. “We admired Agilent while we competed with them,” said Atul Bhatnager, CEO of Ixia. “For us this gives us a significant critical mass plus world-class international customers. Ixia from Calabasas is now running a very global company.” The N2X line is known in the industry for its intuitive and powerful user interface and excellent quality, said the company. Ixia plans to enhance, develop and support the N2X product line through 2015. Ixia also announced the launch of its Fusion initiative, which allows N2X owners to take advantage of a host of Ixia services, such as higher speed Ethernet support. The Agilent deal comes a few months after Ixia acquired Catapult Communications Corporation and its suite of platforms for testing wireless edge and core networks. The transaction was for approximately $105 million, or $63 million net of Catapult’s cash and investments. The acquisition was conducted through a tender offer for all of the outstanding common shares of Catapult, and was completed via merger on June 23. “It’s essential that next-generation converged networks be tested from the edge through to the core in order to deliver excellent quality of experience to millions of subscribers,” said Bhatnagar at the time of the Catapult deal.