AVIAT NETWORKS, INC. (AVNW)

Aviat Networks manufactures and sells wireless networking equipment, predominantly microwave radio systems used to transmit data over the air between distant ground locations. The company’s primary market is the backhaul layer of telecommunications networks—the infrastructure that carries traffic from cell towers back to central routing hubs. Beyond telecom operators, Aviat serves utilities, governments, and other enterprises that need reliable, high-capacity point-to-point wireless links, often in remote or challenging terrain where fiber deployment is impractical.

The company took its current name in January 2010, inheriting a legacy from Harris Corporation’s Microwave Communications Division and Stratex Networks, which merged in 2007 to form Harris Stratex Networks. That combination brought together established transmission technology with a newer platform, and over the subsequent decade Aviat refined its product lines while adding capabilities—acquiring Telsima (2009) for WiMAX products, Redline Communications (2022) for wireless access solutions, and NEC’s Microwave Division (2023) for complementary radio designs.

Aviat’s core product range centers on the WTM family of radio platforms. The WTM 4000 delivers up to 2.5 Gbps throughput per transceiver and was pitched as the industry’s first IP/SDN radio with integrated MPLS and standards-based automation via NETCONF/YANG and OpenFlow. The WTM 4800 addresses newer demands, stacking a single 80GHz E-Band channel with optional dual-channel microwave (6–42 GHz) in a compact outdoor unit for 5G transport. These systems underpin networks where speed, reliability, and span matter more than the costs of laying physical cable.

The company services over half of the largest U.S. utility networks and over half of statewide government communication systems, anchoring its position in mission-critical infrastructure beyond consumer telecom.

Revenue is geographically dispersed: North America typically accounts for the largest share, followed by Africa and the Middle East, with Europe contributing smaller volumes. Aviat competes in a concentrated sector dominated by a few specialists and larger diversified telecom equipment makers. Its staying power rests on deep domain expertise in a niche—high-performance point-to-point wireless—where switching costs are high and customer retention runs long. The company trades on the NASDAQ under ticker AVNW.