Set-top box maker Pace says new orders to spur revenue growth

(Adds details, CEO comment, share price)

By Noor Zainab Hussain

March 3 (Reuters) - Pace Plc (Other OTC: PCMXF - news) forecast better-than-expected revenue for the current year as it steps up shipments of set-top boxes and other new products launched in the second half of 2014.

The British company's shares rose as much as 8.6 percent to rank among the top gainers on the FTSE-250 Midcap Index on Tuesday morning.

Chief Executive Mike Pulli said Pace expected to build on a strong second half to 2014, when it won big orders from U.S. cable operators Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc (Sao Paolo: ATTB34.SA - news) .

"We launched a lot of key products and (won) a lot of key customers," Pulli said, adding that the company had already begun to ship products to meet these orders.

Pace, which supplies decoders and develops technology used by pay-TV and broadband providers, forecast 2015 revenue of about $2.75 billion, slightly above the average analyst forecast of $2.74 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company said in November that Comcast would use Pace's wireless and ethernet enabled set-top boxes and video gateway as part of its X1 next-generation television service.

At the time, Pace also said it would develop and deploy digital video recording set-top boxes to AT&T.

Pace said it expected 2015 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITA) of about $255 million. Adjusted EBITA rose 24.5 percent to $241.1 million last year.

The company's full-year 2014 pretax profit rose 34.3 percent to $175.7 million. Revenue rose 6.1 percent to $2.62 billion.

Pace's shares rose 7.4 percent to 360.5 pence on the London Stock Exchange at 1005 GMT. (Editing by Anupama Dwivedi and Robin Paxton)