It's being announced today by Apple supplier Lumentum that they've acquired Oclaro for $1.8B in cash and stock. Lumentum is Apple's supplier of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that power the Face ID feature in iPhone X.

Alan Lowe, Lumentum's President and CEO stated today in a press release that "Joining forces with Oclaro strengthens our product portfolio, broadens our revenue mix, and positions us strongly for the future needs of our customers. Oclaro brings its leading Indium Phosphide laser and Photonic Integrated Circuit and coherent component and module capabilities to Lumentum.

The combined company will drive innovation faster and accelerate the development of products to enable our customers to win. We are delighted to welcome the talented Oclaro team to Lumentum and look forward to a swift completion of the transaction with a focus on supporting our customers and delivering shareholder value."

Greg Dougherty, Oclaro's CEO added to the press release: "I am very pleased that two of the optical industry leaders, Oclaro and Lumentum, will join forces. Together, we will be an even stronger player in fiber optic components and modules for high-speed communications and a market leader in 3D sensing."

Whether any of Lumentum's acquired technology from Oclaro will provide Apple with any future advantages is unknown at this time.

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