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Date

April 30, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET

Call participants

  • President and Chief Executive Officer — Charles Treadway
  • Chief Financial Officer — Kyle Lorentzen

Takeaways

  • RUCKUS Networks sale -- Agreement to sell the RUCKUS Networks business to Belden (NYSE: BDC) for $1.846 billion in cash, with closing targeted for the second half of 2026 and proceeds partially earmarked for a special distribution to shareholders within 60 days post-closing.
  • Net sales -- $472 million, up 22% year over year, driven by growth in the Aurora and RUCKUS segments.
  • Adjusted EBITDA -- $87 million, marking a 38% year-over-year increase for the combined Aurora and RUCKUS businesses.
  • Adjusted EPS -- $0.34, representing a 209% rise from $0.11 in the prior year.
  • Order rates -- Up 37% sequentially and 49% year over year, supporting continued growth momentum.
  • Backlog -- $843 million, up $211 million or 33% from the end of the previous quarter; Aurora's share of the backlog is approximately $400 million.
  • Aurora Networks sales -- $298 million, up 33% year over year, credited to expanded DOCSIS 4.0 deployments and FDX amplifier shipments exceeding 500,000 units since early 2025.
  • Aurora adjusted EBITDA -- $50 million, up 32% year over year; EBITDA margin flat at 16.9% with margin headwind from lower-margin products offset by cost controls.
  • RUCKUS Networks revenue -- $173 million, rising 14% year over year, with core adjusted EBITDA of $37 million, up 54%; EBITDA margin improved to 21.3%, a 600 basis point gain.
  • Subscription growth -- RUCKUS One delivered 12% year-over-year revenue growth and achieved its largest subscription deal with a Tier 1 North American service provider.
  • CCS segment divestiture -- Sale to Amphenol (NYSE: APH) completed in the first quarter, resulting in reclassification as discontinued operations.
  • Cash and liquidity -- Ended the quarter with $2.5 billion in cash following CCS divestiture and debt repayment; a revolving credit facility up to $300 million was established, with $175 million forecast borrowing capacity by the end of the next quarter.
  • Special distribution -- Subsequent to quarter-end, paid a $10 per share special distribution on April 27, categorized as a return of capital for tax purposes.
  • Share repurchases -- Board authorized up to $100 million in buybacks, but no shares were repurchased during the quarter.
  • Stranded costs -- $30 million of stranded costs from CCS divestiture included in 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance, with efforts underway to further reduce G&A post-RUCKUS sale.
  • 2026 EBITDA guidance -- Company-wide target maintained at $350 million to $400 million, while standalone Aurora guidance ranges from $225 million to $250 million excluding stranded costs from RUCKUS.
  • Customer concentration -- Aurora's top three customers comprise approximately 75% of revenue, indicating substantial customer dependence.
  • Memory chip supply issue -- Both operating segments managed industry-wide DDR4 supply tightness through supplier relationships, inventory management, product redesign, and pricing actions; $30 million EBITDA headwind factored into Aurora's forecast.
  • Legacy product decline -- Legacy Aurora business now represents about 15% of revenue and 25% of EBITDA, with decline largely realized but ongoing as DOCSIS 4.0 ramps.
  • PON and vCCAP product lines -- Currently less than 10% of Aurora revenues, but management expects these to grow substantially over the next three to four years and help offset legacy contraction.
  • Revenue outlook -- Aurora growth in amplifiers and nodes forecast at approximately 20% year over year; low double-digit revenue growth guided for 2026 despite EBITDA decline.
  • R&D and M&A strategy -- Aurora plans to focus on DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade opportunities and pursue bolt-on accretive acquisitions to gain technology and customers, leveraging balance sheet strength.

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Risks

  • Kyle Lorentzen reported, "we continue to expect Aurora adjusted EBITDA to be down in 2026 versus 2025," citing declines in legacy products, stranded cost impacts, and a $30 million memory chip headwind as explicit drags on profitability.
  • Charles Treadway cautioned, "As we look beyond the second quarter, visibility is limited, both from a supply and pricing perspective." for memory chips, introducing uncertainty to future cost management.
  • Significant customer concentration in Aurora was confirmed, as "Our top three customers represent about 75% of our revenue," increasing exposure to individual customer decisions or demand volatility.
  • Kyle Lorentzen stated, "it may take several quarters to reduce the G&A cost structure to the desired levels as we complete the separation of the RUCKUS business," indicating a lag in cost optimization following divestiture.

Summary

Vistance Networks (VISN 5.43%) unveiled the sale of its RUCKUS Networks unit to Belden (NYSE: BDC) for $1.846 billion, restructuring the company to concentrate exclusively on its Aurora business after closing. The company intends to return a substantial portion of sale proceeds to shareholders by special distribution, following the completion of the transaction. CCS segment divestiture and debt repayment during the quarter resulted in a strengthened cash position and zero outstanding debt, with additional financial flexibility provided by a new $300 million revolving credit facility. Management highlighted notable backlog growth and broadened customer wins in next-generation network upgrades, specifically in DOCSIS 4.0, as well as strong progress in transitioning Aurora's product mix toward higher-growth offerings despite macro supply challenges. Explicit financial guidance signals flat sequential adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter and a year-over-year decline for Aurora, while strategic priorities focus on leveraging balance sheet capacity for acquisitions and technology investments.

  • Aurora's PON and vCCAP products are anticipated to offset declines in legacy business and could approach the legacy business in revenue share within a few years based on management's line of sight.
  • The Board's authorization of $100 million in share repurchases reflects potential for further capital returns pending market evaluation, complementing a just-completed $10 per share special distribution.
  • As a result of completed divestitures, company liquidity reached $2.5 billion, providing scope for investments and strategic flexibility amid future acquisition plans.
  • The planned separation of RUCKUS, together with CCS divestiture, will leave Aurora as VISN's sole operating segment, with a focus on capturing value from the DOCSIS 4.0 cycle and potential expansion through targeted M&A.

Industry glossary

  • DOCSIS 4.0: The latest generation of Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, enabling higher broadband speeds and network capacity upgrades for cable operators.
  • FDX amplifier: Full Duplex amplifier supporting simultaneous upstream and downstream data transmission in cable access networks, critical for DOCSIS 4.0 deployments.
  • PON: Passive Optical Network; a fiber-optic telecommunications technology delivering broadband network access using unpowered fiber splitters.
  • RPD: Remote PHY Device; a key component in distributed access architectures separating Layer 1/2 hardware from traditional cable headends.
  • vCCAP: Virtual Converged Cable Access Platform; a software-based solution replacing hardware cable modem termination systems for greater flexibility and scalability.
  • OLT: Optical Line Terminal; network endpoint initiating and managing PON transmissions between the service provider and end-users.
  • vBNG: Virtual Broadband Network Gateway; virtualized function managing broadband subscriber traffic at the service edge, supporting scalable, flexible network operations.
  • CCS: Connectivity and Cable Solutions; refers to VISN's divested segment focused on fiber optic and copper connectivity products.
  • Stranded costs: Overhead expenses that remain after asset or segment divestiture until organizational resizing or further actions reduce them.

Full Conference Call Transcript

Charles Treadway: Thank you, Jenny. Good morning, everyone. I'll begin on Slide 3. This morning, we announced that we have entered into a definitive agreement to sell our RUCKUS Networks business to Belden for $1.846 billion in an all-cash transaction. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. We currently expect the deal to close in the second half of 2026. After a detailed evaluation of our remaining businesses after the CCS transaction, it became clear that the remaining 2 businesses needed to be separated. Our equity value continued to be impacted by the different business models and valuation profiles.

The attractiveness of the RUCKUS business allowed us to achieve the separation in a transaction that we believe further unlocks shareholder equity value. Belden is a favorable buyer of the business for our customers and employees as they will continue to support the investment required to further grow RUCKUS innovative products and services. We expect to distribute a significant portion of the excess cash from this transaction to our shareholders as a special distribution within 60 days following the closing of the proposed transaction. The exact amount and timing of the dividend will be determined by the Board after closing, taking into account all relevant factors. The transaction will leave only our Aurora business in the portfolio.

We expect to continue to run Aurora as a public company. As a player of scale in the DOCSIS market, we will evaluate growth opportunities, including potential acquisitions to broaden our technology portfolio and customer relationships. We are excited about the opportunity to dedicate our focus to the Aurora business. As we move through the year, we will provide updates on the pending transaction and positioning of Vistance Networks as appropriate. Now on to first quarter results on Slide 4. I'm pleased to announce that in the first quarter, Vistance Networks delivered net sales of $472 million, a year-over-year increase of 22% and core adjusted EBITDA of $87 million, a year-over-year increase of 38%.

For clarification, Vistance Networks results include our 2 remaining businesses, Aurora and RUCKUS. The positive results were generated by stronger-than-expected performance in both segments. We are on track to achieve our 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidepost of $350 million to $400 million. With that, now I'd like to give you an update on each of our businesses. Starting with Aurora Networks. Net sales of $298 million were up 33% in the first quarter compared to the prior year, and adjusted EBITDA was up 32%. These increases were primarily driven by the continued deployment of our DOCSIS 4.0 amplifier and node products. Our FDX amplifier deployment with Comcast continues to go well, and this is reflected in our results.

Since the beginning of 2025, we have shipped more than 500,000 FDX amplifiers. We continue to make headway with our suite of next-generation ESD DOCSIS 4.0 amplifiers and are now shipping to multiple large North American MSOs. We expect shipments to ramp up over the next couple of quarters, and these products will continue to ship over multiple years. We are also making progress on the unified products. We expect to start production on unified nodes in the second quarter and expect to start shipping in the second half of 2026. The unified node allows our customers to choose between either the 1.8 gigahertz ESD or FDX technology within a single device.

The unified amplifiers have started lab testing, and we expect to start shipping at the beginning of 2027. During the quarter, we began the rollout of our vCCAP solution with Vodafone Germany. This is quite significant as we will be the go-forward solution displacing one of our competitors. The network upgrade includes Aurora Networks cloud-native vCCAP Evo, providing significant enhancements to the operator service offerings, paving the way to DOCSIS 4.0. This deployment demonstrates the flexibility of our standards-based solution to best meet the unique requirements of multiple operator environments. We have now successfully deployed our vCCAP solution with 2 of the largest EMA service providers. In the quarter, we continued development on our next-generation PON products.

We are partnering with a Tier 1 CALA customer on their ongoing access and core network evolution through the deployment of our vBNG Evo and PON Evo Series 200 remote OLTs as they upgrade their broadband infrastructure road map. They are migrating to a fiber-to-the-home access architecture based on GPON and XGS-PON technologies with the Aurora PON Evo Series 200 remote OLT, which has been deployed in some of the largest CALA regions, offering both residential and business broadband services. The PON Evo Series 200 remote OLT is being deployed in an outside plant node as a stand-alone OLT, supporting up to 8 GPON ports per node and is designed to support up to 128 subscribers per port.

The broadband service edge is being upgraded using the vBNG Evo that allows for both the control and user plane separation architecture, which enhances scalability, operation resilience and traffic management. As stated before, we believe Aurora Networks is well positioned with decades of knowledge of our customers' ecosystems and a broad array of new products for service providers to take advantage of the latest DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade cycle as well as expanding their current DOCSIS 3.1 networks. The new products position Aurora Networks to maintain performance as the market shifts away from our legacy products.

With the announcement of the RUCKUS transaction, we're excited to focus our attention on maximizing the value of Aurora, including exploring acquisitions, mergers and investment in new technology that will take us well beyond the DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade cycle. Now moving on to RUCKUS Networks performance. Core RUCKUS Networks revenue was up 14% in the first quarter compared to prior year. Core RUCKUS adjusted EBITDA of $37 million was up 54% versus prior year. We are pleased with both our revenue and core adjusted EBITDA growth in the quarter. First quarter 2026 adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue was 21.3%, which was an approximate 600 basis point improvement over prior year.

This is a testament to the team's focus on profitability while growing the top line. We had many strong customer wins in the first quarter, including a collaboration with the Los Angeles Football Club for the deployment of a next-generation WiFi 7 network at BMO Stadium. The early industry installation for Major League Soccer establishes a new benchmark for high-density wireless connectivity and sports venues designed to elevate every facet of the fan journey. The deployment leverages a strategic mix of RUCKUS WiFi 7 Access Points, including the high-performance T670 for under-seat coverage and the T670sn with hyper directional antenna technology for precise high-density targeting in concourses and club spaces.

This architecture provides blanket high-speed coverage capable of supporting tens of thousands of concurrent connections. In addition to customer wins, the subscription product, RUCKUS One, continues to be a key priority as we move towards a subscription license and support model. In the quarter, we won our largest ever RUCKUS One deal with a Tier 1 North American service provider. We experienced strong growth in RUCKUS One and our service offerings, driving revenue growth of 12% versus first quarter of 2025. During the quarter, we announced the expansion of our Pro AV ICX network switch portfolio and introduced an AV-enhanced update to its management platforms.

These advancements support the global market shift away from legacy video transport solutions towards Ethernet-based systems. Before handing the call over to Kyle, I would like to provide an update on the DDR4 memory chip supply issue that continues to impact most companies in our industry. As you can see from our results, we were able to manage the tight supply and higher pricing on memory chips in the first quarter in both businesses. Our supplier relationships, inventory position, product redesign and pricing were key in our ability to manage the issue in the first quarter. As we move into the second quarter, we are continuing to use these levers.

We have good visibility into the second quarter and any impact is included in our second quarter expectations. As we look beyond the second quarter, visibility is limited, both from a supply and pricing perspective. We will continue to use our levers to navigate the challenging memory chip market conditions. And with that, I'd like to turn things over to Kyle to talk more about our first quarter results.

Kyle Lorentzen: Thank you, Chuck, and good morning, everyone. I'll start with an overview of our first quarter results on Slide 5. For Vistance Networks' continuing operations, net sales ended at $472 million, up $84 million or 22% year-over-year. Increase in revenue drove continuing operations adjusted EBITDA up $40 million or 85% to $87 million. Adjusted EPS for the first quarter was up 209% to $0.34 per share versus $0.11 per share in the first quarter of 2025. Vistance Networks core adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter was $87 million, up 38% versus prior year as a result of the increase in revenue.

First quarter adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue of 18.5% was 230 basis points better than prior year same quarter, driven by stronger leverage in RUCKUS, partially offset by lower margin product mix in Aurora and stranded costs. The first quarter ended stronger than we had expected in both businesses. Order rates were up 37% sequentially in the first quarter of 2026 and up 49% versus prior year. Vistance Networks backlog ended the quarter at $843 million, up $211 million or 33% versus the end of the fourth quarter 2025. Turning now to our first quarter segment highlights on Slide 6. Please refer to Slide 5 to view both the RUCKUS Networks and core RUCKUS Network results.

Starting with our Aurora Networks segment. First quarter net sales of $298 million increased 33% from the prior year as shipments of our DOCSIS 4.0 products increased. Aurora Networks adjusted EBITDA of $50 million was up $12 million or 32% from the prior year, driven by higher amplifier revenue. EBITDA as a percentage of sales was essentially flat with last year at 16.9% as lower margins driven by product mix was offset by operating cost management. Sequentially, in the second quarter of 2026, we expect revenue and adjusted EBITDA to be in line with the first quarter.

However, we would expect year-over-year 2026 second quarter adjusted EBITDA to be down due to strong legacy license revenue in the second quarter of 2025. We expect the second half Aurora adjusted EBITDA to be stronger than the first half. As we have discussed in the past, Aurora Networks is a project-driven business with timing of projects driving some volatility in quarterly results, both from a revenue and EBITDA perspective. The business remains well positioned to take advantage of upgrade cycles while offsetting declines in the legacy business.

With the expected decline in legacy products and the impact of stranded costs, partially offset by improving DOCSIS 4.0 revenue, we continue to expect Aurora adjusted EBITDA to be down in 2026 versus 2025. Core RUCKUS net sales of $173 million increased by 14% versus the first quarter of 2025, driven by market demand as well as our go-to-market and vertical initiatives. Core RUCKUS adjusted EBITDA of $37 million increased 54% from the prior year as a result of higher revenue, improved margins driven by our new switch portfolio and leverage of our fixed costs. We continue to see strong market conditions driven by the WiFi 7 upgrade cycle.

In addition to better market conditions, our investment in sales has positioned us to grow faster than the market. Core RUCKUS bookings were up 33% from fourth quarter 2025. We continue to drive our vertical market strategies and new product initiatives and are well positioned to grow faster than market as we move through 2026. Moving forward, the RUCKUS business will be presented as held for sale. Finally, early in the quarter, we completed the divestiture of the CCS segment to Amphenol. Note that the activity of the segment was reported as discontinued operations for the quarter. Turning to Slide 7 for an update on cash flow.

As expected in the quarter, cash flow from operations was a use of $227 million and free cash flow, a use of $229 million due to working capital needs and timing of our annual cash incentive payout. As we look at cash for 2026, we expect to end the second quarter of 2026 with approximately $125 million of cash on hand. Our projection for year-end cash on hand, excluding proceeds from the RUCKUS transaction, is $150 million to $200 million. As Chuck mentioned earlier, we are excited about the RUCKUS transaction as it unlocks further shareholder value and provides an opportunity to return additional cash to shareholders.

The net cash impact of the transaction after fees and taxes is expected to be approximately $1.7 billion. Turning to Slide 8 for an update on our liquidity and capital structure. During the first quarter, our cash and liquidity remained strong. We ended the quarter with $2.5 billion in cash on hand. During the quarter, our cash balance increased approximately $1.6 billion as we closed the CCS divestiture at the beginning of January and repaid all of our existing debt and redeemed the preferred equity. In the quarter, we did not purchase any equity on the open market.

However, we will continue to evaluate opportunities to buy back stock, and the Board of Directors recently approved the buyback of up to $100 million. The company ended the quarter with no outstanding debt. In early April, the company entered into a new revolving credit agreement with Citibank in an aggregate amount up to $300 million, subject to borrowing base availability. Based on forecasted inputs, we expect the borrowing base to be approximately $175 million at the end of the second quarter. The revolving credit facility is scheduled to mature in 2031. Subsequent after the end of the first quarter, the Board approved a special distribution of $10 per share.

The distribution was paid on April 27 and is expected to be treated as a return of capital for tax purposes. Although we considered putting modest leverage on the company ahead of the distribution, we decided not to proceed due to challenging debt market conditions and the desire for financial flexibility. This position allows us to evaluate investments in Aurora, including bolt-on accretive acquisitions. I will conclude my prepared remarks with commentary around our expectations for the remainder of 2026. We will continue to focus on completing the sale of RUCKUS and implementing the Aurora strategy. We expect Vistance's second quarter adjusted EBITDA to be essentially flat with the first quarter.

Second quarter adjusted EBITDA will be down versus prior year due to favorable project timing in Aurora and some pull-ahead revenue in response to tariffs in the second quarter of 2025. In the first quarter, we began taking action to reduce the $30 million of stranded costs that were associated with the CCS transaction. As mentioned previously, the stranded costs are included in our Vistance Networks adjusted EBITDA guideposts. With the pending sale of RUCKUS, we are continuing to evaluate overall stranded costs. Similar to the CCS transaction, final stranded costs on the RUCKUS transaction will be minimal.

However, it may take several quarters to reduce the G&A cost structure to the desired levels as we complete the separation of the RUCKUS business, including managing transition service requirements. As we think about the stand-alone Aurora business, our 2026 adjusted EBITDA guideposts are in the $225 million to $250 million range, excluding stranded costs from the RUCKUS transaction. We look forward to continuing to develop and implement the Aurora strategy focused on taking advantage of the DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade cycle, managing our legacy business and investing in future technologies. And with that, I'd like to give the floor back to Chuck for some closing remarks.

Charles Treadway: Thank you, Kyle. In closing, we are very excited about the RUCKUS transaction as it unlocks equity value and returns cash to our shareholders. I want to thank the RUCKUS team for all they have done to make this deal possible and position the business for continued success. The transaction now allows us to focus on Aurora and taking advantage of the current DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade cycle while positioning the business with new technology for future growth. And with that, we'll now open the line for questions.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from Samik Chatterjee with JPMorgan.

Samik Chatterjee: Maybe just a couple of questions. For the first one, I'm trying to think of the -- you're guiding Aurora Networks EBITDA to be down year-over-year. Trying to think of the bridge here because you do have the memory cost related headwinds. You do have -- it seems like you're assuming for the rest of the year, software doesn't repeat to be as much of a driver as last year. So maybe if you can help me bridge through the EBITDA decline, which at least in my numbers is more around sort of $15 million looks like in EBITDA. How to think about the moving pieces there?

How much are you getting from growth in the business offset by these drivers in terms of memory and others?

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. So I think if we look at the sort of the drag from last year, you look at the stranded cost for the Aurora business, they take about half of the $30 million that we're talking about. So that's $15 million. We've had a decline in the legacy business that we've talked about. And then we have the memory chip issue, which in the latest forecast, we have it at about $30 million of drag versus last year. That essentially gets offset partially by the growth that we have in the business on the DOCSIS 4.0 upgrade products.

So if you take the growth minus the drag with memory chips, the stranded cost and the legacy business decline, that's how you're getting the year-over-year decline overall.

Samik Chatterjee: Great. And for my follow-up, I mean, you did mention the opportunities to then use the balance sheet for accretive acquisitions. How are you thinking about technology that would sort of bolster what you already have in the portfolio on the Aurora Network side? What would be sort of more of a target technology that you would look to acquire? And how much dry powder do you want to keep on the balance sheet for like what is the typical size and dry powder you would need to then pursue those ambitions in terms of acquisitions?

Charles Treadway: Sure. Thanks, Samik. Look, we're not going to get into any specifics, but I would say that the DOCSIS market is an industry that continues to be fragmented with many small suppliers. And we've talked to our larger customers, and there's a desire for them to work with players of scale. And based on our size and strong balance sheet, we're well positioned to bring that stability. So I would say what we're looking at more for is bolt-on accretive acquisitions that can provide us, as you say, product or customer expansion, and we're going to be working with our large customers to really kind of define that.

Operator: Our next question comes from Amit Daryanani with Evercore.

Amit Daryanani: I have a couple as well. Maybe the first one, just to kind of get this sorted out. The RUCKUS transaction, it sounds like you want to do the distribution within 60 days of close. Can you just talk about what the tax treatment would be? Is it going to be like a return of capital the way the Amphenol was? Or could this be different?

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. At this point, we'd expect it to be a return of basis.

Amit Daryanani: Got it. Perfect. And then Chuck, we really looked at sort of Aurora as kind of a key asset in the company right now. Could you maybe spend a little bit of time talking about what are the different assets within Aurora? I think you have like the DOCSIS 4.0 portfolio that's doing really well for you folks. I think amplifiers and PON does fairly well. But then you have these legacy assets that are sort of declining but higher margins. Can you just talk about what is the framework in terms of how to think about the different assets within the portfolio? How big they are? What is the EBITDA profile for each of them look like?

It would be good to just be able to level set what's left in the asset right now.

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. I mean, maybe I can answer the question just as we think about the legacy business. So clearly, the legacy business has been in decline over the last few years. We talked about the decline that we've seen from '25 to '26 in our forecasting. So a lot of that decline is behind us. And when you think about the Aurora business, approximately 15% of our revenue and about 25% of our EBITDA is driven by that legacy previous DOCSIS version.

So as we sort of move off of '26, and Chuck can provide some detail on the different products, you should think about it as we are getting strong growth in those DOCSIS 4.0 products, the new products, the amplifiers, the RPDs, the nodes, and we expect to see continued decline in the legacy business. But on a relative basis, as we've gone through the decline over the last few years, it is a smaller part of our business now. And we're actually seeing fairly strong growth in the DOCSIS products, particularly on the amplifier side, both from an FDX perspective and an ESD perspective. I don't know if...

Charles Treadway: Yes. And related to technology, right, on the legacy, think about the E6000 family and the amplifiers there. But as you say, you know the DOCSIS 4.0 stuff. But besides that, I would say PON, specifically remote OLT technology is where we have a good position, and we're going to be looking more at chassis PON going forward. And then on the video side, we also have -- think about our video as software providing, helping cable operators provide ad-based revenue streams for them.

Amit Daryanani: Perfect. The last one, I'll step away after this. The backlog, normally full scale, even $843 million. I apologize if I missed this, but is there a way to split that between RUCKUS and Aurora just so we understand what the base looks like?

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. I think the backlog in Aurora is about $400 million, if that's the question.

Operator: Our next question comes from George Notter with Wolfe Research.

George Notter: I guess, again, a few more questions on the Aurora business. I'm just curious about what customer concentration looks like there. Obviously, there's a couple of big customers, I presume, but I'm just curious what that would look like. And then also bigger picture, these customers are going through a really significant network upgrade. If you look at sort of the pacing of those upgrades, you've got a couple of years left, it feels like, maybe a bit longer, maybe a bit shorter. But how do you think about the business in the context of these upgrades? And then presumably behind that, there's a step down in those business lines. I'm just curious how you think about that?

And does this turn into a maintenance business? How big could that maintenance revenue stream be? Like how do you see the long term?

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. So I'll deal with customer concentration, not unsimilar to the other players in the market. Customer concentration is relatively high. Our top 3 customers represent about 75% of our revenue.

George Notter: And then the long-term picture?

Charles Treadway: Yes, yes. I'll take the second part. When you think about where we are, you say 2 years, it depends really on which customer you are. I mean some customers are probably in that process where they have a couple of years left. Others may have 3 to 5 years left of just getting that ramped up. But then you have -- after that, you have the whole -- the PON story. Customers are either going to go DOCSIS 4.0, they're going to do remote OLT or they're going to do chassis PON going forward. And that's where we're investing in. Of course, video is really unrelated to those things.

And then there's going to be a legacy business that continues. So when you think about the value going forward, I mean, there's going to be significant FDX amplifiers. We talked about putting out 500,000 of them already. There's multiple years left, let's say, 3 to 5 years left of that.

Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our next question comes from Tal Liani with Bank of America.

Kevin Niederpruem: This is Kevin Niederpruem on for Tal Liani with Bank of America. My first question is revolving around these nodes that you guys announced that you plan to ship in the second half of 2026. Can you help us think about the size of this opportunity? And maybe explain for us how you see these nodes coinciding with the purchasing plans of your customers that have already done their strong upgrades with these amplifiers. Is there a relationship and kind of a way to think about it, how these amplifiers that have seen strong growth coincide with the growth of these nodes that are now coming online?

Charles Treadway: Yes. I'd start by saying the new product you're talking about is unified RPD nodes and RPDs and nodes, and that allows the customer to choose either ESD option or FDX option. So when you think about Comcast, they're an FDX path other players have chosen ESD. But as they go forward, as they move forward, they see the value of both, and they want to have that optionality. So it will really be a customer that might have already started ESD, they may decide to replace that with a unified product that allows them to have both options. If you're already with FDX and you're choosing that, you might not go that route.

When you think about amplifiers in a relationship to the number of nodes, I mean, think about 6 to 8 amplifiers per node is kind of how to think about that. It could range from 4 to 8, depends on how you design your network.

Kevin Niederpruem: Got it. Makes sense. And then my second question for you guys is, last quarter, you talked about how you have visibility into memory supply and you're almost kind of reengineering or reworking these products to help mitigate the impact of memory costs. Can you talk about where you stand today? How does your line of sight look to inventory now? And how is that reengineering or reworking progressed throughout the quarter?

Charles Treadway: Right. I'd say with the RUCKUS business, we actually have all the volume we need for '26 right now. But as I want to mention, as we talked about in the last call, RUCKUS requires a different graded chip. It's not the high end -- the really -- heat since -- it's more -- it cannot -- it doesn't have to worry about the heat as much as it does in the Aurora product. On the Aurora side, we're like most companies that are dealing with the tight supply. But I'd say in the first quarter, we managed -- we managed through the challenges. We delivered the strong results.

And then we're working with our suppliers and customers on availability and pricing. The good thing for us is we've had orders on the books for multiple years now. And the suppliers are looking at that very favorably because we're not raising the volume to make sure we get a larger allocation. We've been very consistent on that. And they've been very supportive in helping us up to this point. And I say that they're going to most likely continue to be able to do that for us. And we also -- as you say, we are working on designs.

I'd say we're a couple of quarters away from having some additional options related to memory chips, but that's where we are there. But I feel good right now about how we've been treated. We've been supported and the fact that we're not AI is helping us in this case.

Operator: Our next question comes from Tim Savageaux with Northland Capital Markets.

Timothy Savageaux: Congrats on the RUCKUS sale. I want to take kind of the flip side of the legacy question. And that is, I don't know if you'd look at sort of a growth aspect of Aurora and call that vCCAP and PON or do I ask the same type of questions. As we look at that business now, how -- I imagine it's small, but I wonder if you could try and size that in a similar way or talk about growth potential and a target for that business over time? Can it become, say, as big as the legacy business in a few years? And I have a follow-up.

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes. So let me -- I mean, I'll just talk a little bit about just the size of the PON and vCMTS business as it sits today in our Aurora business. Think about that as less than 10% of the revenue. And as Chuck mentioned, with the focus on the PON side and on the vCMTS side, where we've announced some wins, particularly in Europe, yes, we would expect that business to grow fairly substantially over the next 3 to 4 years. And we feel like there is some line of sight for us to be able to at least offset our legacy business with those 2 product lines.

So I think we're not going to go roll out the detailed forecast by product line. But I think as we think about what I mentioned before on that 15% of our legacy business with PON and vCMTS being less than 10%, yes, we think over the next few years, we can get it to be that size. And when you think about our DOCSIS 4.0 products, the amplifiers and the RPDs in particular, I mean, we are seeing our projection within our forecast is to see those products year-over-year from '25 to '26 to grow in the 20% range. So I mean, there is strong growth on that side of the business.

Charles Treadway: And the other thing I could add to that, Tal, is more in line with the inorganic opportunities. As I shared earlier in the call, with speaking to our large customers, there are opportunities for consolidators that could get us some additional product lines, that these customers may need that we don't have today as well as additional customers that we don't have today. And obviously, we'd be looking at not just products we could use right now, but products that we could use for the future.

Timothy Savageaux: Great. And if I could follow up with that 20% growth in amplifiers and nodes and offset by legacy declines, does that translate into maybe double-digit revenue growth for Aurora in '26 despite the EBITDA decline? And that's it for me.

Kyle Lorentzen: Yes, you're probably somewhere in the low double digits.

Operator: Thank you. I'm showing no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn it back to Chuck Treadway for closing remarks.

Charles Treadway: Yes. Thank you for your time today. And obviously, we appreciate the interest in our company, and have a great rest of your week. Thank you very much.

Operator: This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.