Opticom

What Opticom does

OPTICOM GmbH (legal name OPTICOM Dipl.-Ing. Michael Keyhl GmbH) is a privately held German technology company founded in 1995 as a spin-off from the Fraunhofer-Institute, headquartered in Erlangen, Germany with 11-50 employees. The company develops perceptual quality measurement algorithms that model human auditory and visual perception to produce objective MOS (Mean Opinion Score) metrics for voice, audio and video signals. Its portfolio spans ITU-standardized core algorithms - POLQA (ITU-T P.863, the current HD-Voice/VoIP/4G-LTE standard), PESQ (ITU-T P.862), PEVQ (ITU-T J.247), PEAQ (ITU-R BS.1387), 3SQM (ITU-T P.563) and PEDQ - delivered as the OPERA hardware/software quality analyzer (portable, rack-mount, distributed network test system or software-only), the PEXQ software suite for Windows, and OEM-licensed toolkits for Windows, Linux, Java and Android.

OPTICOM monetizes through three channels: (1) OEM licensing of perceptual algorithms to Test & Measurement manufacturers and system integrators on a one-stop basis, with POLQA on FRAND terms and 109 licensees as of 2017; (2) one-time perpetual software and hardware product sales of OPERA, PEXQ and related modules; and (3) consulting, field studies and conformance testing services. Distribution combines direct sales from Erlangen with regional distributors in the USA (Telchemy), Korea (YALE Systek), Taiwan (GCOM Technologies), China (Transcom International) and Japan (GLEAN Corporation), reaching 80+ countries and Tier-1 customers including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, Vodafone, Swisscom, Ericsson, Siemens, Cisco, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Rohde & Schwarz, Spirent and EXFO. The firm is co-run by founder-CEO Michael Keyhl and CTO Christian Schmidmer, both former Fraunhofer MP3-team scientists, and is actively pursuing international growth while publicly signaling openness to VC and M&A.

Name

Opticom

Legal name

OPTICOM Dipl.-Ing. Michael Keyhl GmbH

Website

https://opticom.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPTICOM GmbH is a German perceptual quality measurement technology firm that develops ITU-standardized voice, audio and video quality algorithms (POLQA, PESQ, PEVQ, PEAQ, 3SQM) licensed as OEM toolkits and software/hardware products to telecom operators, equipment manufacturers and Test & Measurement vendors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Voice and Video Quality Measurement Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Quality Engineering & Test Automation (QE/QA) (BPAEAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Broadcast Monitoring, Compliance & QoS (Logging, Loudness, Captions) (MPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Voice quality testing
• Video quality measurement
• Audio perceptual analysis
• Telecom QoE algorithms
• ITU standardized benchmarks

Headquarters

HQ city

Erlangen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. OEM Licensing: OPTICOM licenses its perceptual measurement algorithms (POLQA, PESQ, PEVQ, PEAQ) to Test & Measurement manufacturers and system integrators. Licensing is handled on a one-stop basis by OPTICOM. As of 2017, POLQA had 109 licensees worldwide. FRAND terms apply for POLQA licensing.
2. Software Products (OPERA, PEXQ): Sale of OPERA Voice/Audio Quality Analyzer (portable, rack-mountable, software suite) and PEXQ Software Suite for Windows. Products include POLQA, PESQ, and other perceptual measurement algorithms bundled with hardware or software licenses.
3. Consulting and Testing Services: QoS testing consulting services, including objective and subjective evaluation. Field studies, network component evaluation, and conformance testing services provided by OPTICOM experts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OPTICOM develops, licenses, and sells ITU-standardized perceptual quality measurement algorithms and products for voice, audio, and video. The portfolio includes the POLQA (P.863), PESQ (P.862), PEVQ (J.247), PEAQ (BS.1387), and 3SQM (P.563) algorithms, delivered through the OPERA Voice/Audio Quality Analyzer (portable, rack-mountable, distributed, or software-only), the PEXQ software suite for Windows, and OEM libraries for Windows, Linux, Java, and Android. The company licenses algorithms on a one-stop basis to Test & Measurement manufacturers and provides consulting services for QoS benchmarking and conformance testing.

Product overview

Opticom provides a comprehensive portfolio of perceptual quality measurement solutions for voice, audio, and video testing. The core offerings include the OPERA hardware/software platform for voice and audio quality analysis, the PEXQ software suite integrating POLQA, PESQ, PEAQ, PEVQ, ECHO, and 3SQM algorithms, and standalone technology standards (POLQA, PESQ, PEAQ, PEVQ, 3SQM) available for OEM licensing. The company specializes in ITU-standardized full-reference perceptual measurement algorithms that model human auditory and visual perception to generate objective MOS (Mean Opinion Score) quality metrics for telecommunications, broadcasting, and multimedia applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEXQ: All-in-one testing suite for voice, audio/visual and data payload analysis based on human perception
• OPERA
• POLQA
• PESQ
• PEAQ
• PEVQ
• 3SQM

Products and services

• OPERA Voice/Audio Quality Analyzer Hardware and software platform for objective perceptual evaluation of compressed voice and wide-band audio signals modeling human auditory perception. Available as portable 'lunch-box' analyzer, 19-inch rack-mountable server, distributed network test system, or software-only suite. Supports voice (PESQ, PSQM), audio (PEAQ), and video quality testing, with options for OEM Developer Toolkit for T&M equipment developers.
• PEXQ Software Suite Complete Windows software portfolio of perceptual quality measurement tools for voice, audio/visual, and data payload analysis, based on human perception. Includes PESQ, POLQA, ECHO, PESQ-TQ, PEVQ, with future support for PEAQ and PEDQ. Available as Graphical User Interface Single-User License or Multi-User License, with OEM Developer Toolkit for T&M equipment developers and system integrators.
• POLQA (Perceptual Objective Listening Quality Analysis) OEM Library Next-generation voice quality testing standard for HD-Voice, VoIP, 3G and 4G/LTE networks. Approved as ITU-T Recommendation P.863 in 2011, POLQA V2.4 (POLQA 2015) was adopted by ITU SG12 in September 2014 and supersedes POLQA V1.1 as Edition 2. Available as OEM Library Toolset for Windows, Linux, Java, and Android with FRAND licensing terms; more than 100,000 mobile and VoIP call samples used to train and optimize the algorithm.
• PESQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality) OEM Implementation Industry-standard full-reference perceptual voice quality measurement for narrow-band and wide-band telephony voice signals according to ITU-T Recommendation P.862. Combines PSQM with PAMS for optimized VoIP and hybrid end-to-end applications with MOS scoring. OPTICOM is a registered trademark holder of PESQ.
• PEAQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality) OEM Implementation International standard for objective measurement of perceived audio quality of high-quality wide-band audio signals according to ITU-R Recommendation BS.1387. Available in Basic Model (real-time) and Advanced Model versions, with stereo support at CD-like sampling frequencies (44.1-48kHz). Outputs ODG (Objective Difference Grade) correlating with subjective listening tests.
• PEVQ (Perceptual Evaluation of Video Quality) OEM Implementation Full-reference perceptual video quality measurement for MOS scoring of video-telephony, streaming and messaging applications. Part of ITU-T Recommendation J.247 (2008). Analyzes CIF, QCIF, VGA, and Rec.601 video formats. Generates distortion indicators including blur, blockiness, jerkiness, frame skips/freezes, and PSNR.
• 3SQM (Single-Sided Speech Quality Measure) OEM Implementation Non-intrusive voice quality testing algorithm based on ITU-T Recommendation P.563 that allows network operators to monitor operational voice quality without generating test traffic. Co-developed with Psytechnics and SwissQual, released in May 2004.
• QoS Testing Consulting Services Professional consulting services for objective and subjective QoS evaluation, including field studies, network component evaluation, and conformance testing. Provides expert analysis of voice, audio, and video quality delivered by OPTICOM experts for telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, and media partners such as Zafaco and CONNECT magazine for German network benchmarking.
• POLQA Q-App OEM Library Toolset for Android POLQA OEM library toolset for Android smartphones enabling HD Voice quality testing on mobile devices, including support for wideband and super-wideband calls. Lets T&M equipment developers, mobile operators, and device vendors perform client-side POLQA measurements directly on Android handsets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 98% correlation with subjective listening test scores (PSQM)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SwissQualcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed between OPTICOM, SwissQual, and TNO for joint development of POLQA. The three companies combined their candidate models which were the only algorithms that clearly met ITU-T selection criteria in June 2010. Together they form the POLQA Coalition, the outcome of the competitive standardization process run by ITU-T Study Group 12.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed between OPTICOM, SwissQual, and TNO for joint development of POLQA. The three companies combined their candidate models which were the only algorithms that clearly met ITU-T selection criteria in June 2010. Together they form the POLQA Coalition.
• TelchemycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance formed in October 2004 to leverage complementary core technology and market strengths. OPTICOM's perceptual quality measurement combined with Telchemy's VoIP performance monitoring technologies. Collaboration enables support for VQmon analysis in PEXQ QoS testing solution.
• ZafacominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for German network benchmarking. Zafaco conducts CONNECT magazine's broadband network tests using OPTICOM's POLQA and PEVQ-S MOS tools for voice and video streaming benchmarking.
• Connect MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for network quality benchmarking. CONNECT magazine uses OPTICOM's POLQA and PEVQ-S technology for annual German network benchmarks, providing media coverage and visibility for OPTICOM's measurement capabilities.
• P3 SolutionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman Test & Measurement company that uses OPTICOM's POLQA technology for mobile network testing. Collaborates with Connect Magazine for voice quality testing of German mobile networks.
• Anite (now Nemo)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinnish Test & Measurement company that integrated OPTICOM's PEVQ-S streaming video analysis in Nemo tools in February 2014, enabling operators to analyze services and optimize networks.
• Fraunhofer Institute (IIS-A)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPTICOM was founded as a spin-off from Fraunhofer-Institute in 1995. Fraunhofer is known as 'the home of MP3'. OPTICOM developers contributed to PEAQ development with Fraunhofer. Long-standing relationship with origins in perceptual audio quality research.
• Acterna ACOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership established since spring 2001 for global sales network expansion.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Anritsu: Established Japanese T&M manufacturer whose mobile/wireless test portfolio addresses voice and data quality in 3G/4G/5G networks. Anritsu is comparable to OPTICOM at the system/instrument level for operator and chipset testing.
• Viavi Solutions: Global T&M and service assurance vendor that competes with OPTICOM in telecom network QoS/QoE monitoring and benchmarking, including voice, video, and data-services quality measurement for operators and cable providers.
• EXFO: Listed T&M vendor that integrates perceptual voice/video quality measurement into its telecom test portfolio. EXFO is both an OPTICOM licensee and a broader incumbent competitor in service assurance and network QoS testing.
• Spirent Communications: Global T&M incumbent that licenses POLQA/PESQ for its network testing solutions. Spirent competes with OPTICOM in broader telecom test but is also a customer/distribution channel, making it a key incumbent peer with overlapping voice/video QA capabilities across the lifecycle.
• Rohde & Schwarz: Major T&M equipment manufacturer whose mobile network testing portfolio integrates OPTICOM algorithms. Following its acquisition of SwissQual, Rohde & Schwarz combines direct perceptual QA IP with broad-spectrum T&M — a high-relevance incumbent that competes and partners with OPTICOM simultaneously.
• Keysight Technologies: Successor to Agilent Technologies (an OPTICOM customer). Keysight is a leading T&M incumbent offering wireless, signaling, and audio/video test solutions; it overlaps with OPTICOM in voice/audio QA for chipset, device, and network test applications.

Emerging players

• Head acoustics: Specialist in voice and audio quality measurement for telecom terminals, automotive hands-free, and smart-device applications. Head acoustics' perceptual testing tools overlap with OPTICOM's POLQA/PESQ/PEAQ stack in narrow voice and wide-band audio quality assessment.

Direct peers

• Psytechnics (now part of NetScout): Co-developer of PESQ/P.862 and a former co-owner of the PESQ trademark with OPTICOM. Psytechnics built perceptual voice/video quality monitoring into a broader service assurance portfolio that is now part of NetScout, making it the closest historical peer in ITU-standardized perceptual voice and video quality measurement.
• Telchemy: Strategic alliance partner since 2004 and OPTICOM's regional distributor in the USA. Telchemy's VQmon non-intrusive voice/video quality monitoring technology complements OPTICOM's algorithms and is embedded alongside PEXQ, making Telchemy the most operationally and technically intertwined peer.
• SwissQual (now part of Rohde & Schwarz): Co-developer of POLQA via the POLQA Coalition (with OPTICOM and TNO). SwissQual built drive-test and active network-quality measurement systems using perceptual algorithms and is now part of Rohde & Schwarz, directly comparable to OPTICOM in both algorithmic IP and T&M-grade voice/video QA offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opticom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opticom-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Opticom