Lightwave articles from April 2008

Lightwave archives from April 2008

No relief in sight for fragmented optical components sector.(INDUSTRY)
April 1, 2008... OFC/NFOEC 2008 may have been held in sunny San Diego at the end of February, but this year's conference highlighted the extent to which we are still living in the shadow of the bubble recovery. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The week kicked...

Active optical cable options expand with market.(TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2008... Almost out of nowhere, a market appears to be developing for active optical cables as an alternative to copper links in high-performance computing and data center environments. Not surprisingly, several vendors have rushed to develop products...

Corporations can now leverage bandwidth bounty.(APPLICATIONS)
April 1, 2008... In the last 25 years, equipment innovations such as the commercial router and low-cost Ethernet have enabled enterprises to expand and more effectively compete through the aggressive deployment of large private networks. The individual links...

The Fiber Optic Association.(HOTPICK)
April 1, 2008... The Fiber Optic Association (www.thefoa.org) has created a new certification program, "Fiber Optic Network Design," which covers the particulars of how fiber-optic networks are designed within the context of complete communications systems or...

CDE Lightband.(north america)(Clearfield Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... CDE Lightband, formerly the Clarksville Department of Electricity in Clarksville, TN, has selected Clearfield Inc. (www.clearfieldconnection. com) to provide the fiber management platform for one of the largest FTTH initiatives in the country....

Alloptic (www.alloptic.com), developer of RF over glass (RFoG) and PON equipment for cable TV, telecom, and private network operators worldwide, has announced that Hintze ITC is deploying its GEPON system in three key smart city projects in Mexico.(north america)
April 1, 2008... Alloptic (www.alloptic.com), developer of RF over glass (RFoG) and PON equipment for cable TV, telecom, and private network operators worldwide, has announced that Hintze ITC is deploying its GEPON system in three key smart city projects in...

Calix.(north america)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Calix (www.calix.com) has announced the "wide deployment" of Calix 700G GPON optical network terminals (ONTs) across Minnesota. Service providers deploying the 700G ONTs for residential and business use include Paul Bunyan Telephone...

JDSU's (www.jdsu.com) NetComplete service assurance system and associated IP test probes have been selected by Deutsche Telekom to support delivery of its IPTV service.(emea)
April 1, 2008... JDSU's (www.jdsu.com) NetComplete service assurance system and associated IP test probes have been selected by Deutsche Telekom to support delivery of its IPTV service. It ensures early recognition of changes in the quality of the streaming...

Ekinops (www.ekinops.net) reveals that TelemaxX Telekommunikation GmbH, a telecommunications service provider, has deployed the Ekinops 360 optical transport platform in its network in Germany.(emea)
April 1, 2008... Ekinops (www.ekinops.net) reveals that TelemaxX Telekommunikation GmbH, a telecommunications service provider, has deployed the Ekinops 360 optical transport platform in its network in Germany. TelemaxX is using the Ekinops 360 in its backbone,...

Swiss municipal electric utility ewz has selected Alcatel-Lucent's (www.alcatel-lucent.com) Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA) to deliver high-speed broadband voice, video, and data services to residential and business customers in Zurich.(emea)
April 1, 2008... Swiss municipal electric utility ewz has selected Alcatel-Lucent's (www.alcatel-lucent.com) Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA) to deliver high-speed broadband voice, video, and data services to residential and business customers...

Net Insight (www.netinsight.se) has received a further order from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to upgrade and expand the Eurovision Nimbra network.(emea)
April 1, 2008... Net Insight (www.netinsight.se) has received a further order from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to upgrade and expand the Eurovision Nimbra network. The order contains an upgrade of the Eurovision backbone network with Net Insight's...

IBM.(HOTPICK)
April 1, 2008... IBM (www.ibm.com) says its scientists have built the world's smallest nanophotonic switch with a footprint about 100x smaller than the cross-section of a human hair. The switch could be used to transfer information inside a computer chip by...

Verizon Business (www.verizon.com) says it is working closely with its Asian partners to activate the U.S.-mainland China portion of the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable in July, a month in advance of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.(asia)
April 1, 2008... Verizon Business (www.verizon.com) says it is working closely with its Asian partners to activate the U.S.-mainland China portion of the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable in July, a month in advance of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing,...

ZTE Corp. (www.zte.com.cn) says it has won a tender from Pakistan Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (PTCL), the biggest state-owned operator in Pakistan and an affiliate company of multinational carrier Etisalat, to build part of the country's largest WDM backbone transmission network.(asia)
April 1, 2008... ZTE Corp. (www.zte.com.cn) says it has won a tender fromPakistan Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (PTCL), the biggest state-owned operator in Pakistan and an affiliate company of multinational carrier Etisalat, to build part of the country's largest...

Thailand's Khon Kaen University (KKU) has implemented an all Alcatel-Lucent data network to deliver e-learning, voice, and Internet services to the faculty and its students.(asia)
April 1, 2008... Thailand's Khon Kaen University (KKU) has implemented an all Alcatel-Lucent data network to deliver e-learning, voice, and Internet services to the faculty and its students. KKU's Gigabit Ethernet backbone network comprises 90 km of optical...

Advances in WDM and ROADMs.(www.lightwaveonline.com)
April 1, 2008... This article reviews the latest in WDM, multidegree ROADM, and packet optical networking technologies that allow independent service providers to remain competitive. The article will also examine how advances in subwavelength grooming influence...

Goodbye SONET/SDH, hello next-gen ROADM.(www.lightwaveonline.com)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Extensions to standards currently support Ethernet over SONET/SDH using virtual concatenation, Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (LCAS), and a modified 10-Gigabit Ethernet called a WAN PHY interface, which fits into the SONET/SDH OC-192/STM-64...

Grumpy old men.(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... On the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2008, a collection of C-level executives took their places behind a table and looked out at an audience of nearly 200 of their peers, gathered to hear the panelists' views on the market at the OSA/Lightwave...

Clarification.(Editorial)(Correction notice)
April 1, 2008... In the March article "OTDR Vendors Continue to Specialize, Innovate" (page 1), Tom DePaolantonio, JDSU's director of fiber optics for North America, was incorrectly identified. Lightwave regrets the error.

Tunable pluggable XFP is the end game, but XFP-E may still play.(TECH TRENDS)
April 1, 2008... In late February, a large carrier began circulating an RFQ asking for tunable pluggable optics in the 2009 timeframe, and that RFQ has had something of a ripple effect on the industry. Module vendors who were working on a tunable pluggable...

Fiber-optic module management IC.(COMPONENTS)
April 1, 2008... The MIC3002 fiber-optic module controller enables the implementation of sophisticated, hot-pluggable fiber-optic transceivers with intelligent laser control and an internally calibrated Digital Diagnostic Interface per SFF 8472. The 4x4-mm...

Tunable optical transmitter.(COMPONENTS)
April 1, 2008... A new transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) is reportedly the smallest available for the DWDM transceiver market. The new TOSA brings full band tunability, or the ability for service providers to change to any wavelength on demand, to...

Menara Networks debuts 'OTN in a transceiver'.(PRODUCT PROFILE)
April 1, 2008... Four-year-old Menara Networks (www.menaranet. com) has unveiled the first in a line of transceivers that incorporate ITU-T G.709 Optical Transport Network (OTN) functions within the module. The devices are designed to enable current-generation...

Line-card-on-a-chip architecture.(COMPONENTS)(Ethernity Networks' ENET4000 FPGA access flow processor)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The first release of the ENET4000 FPGA access flow processor is designed to fully support OLT EPON or GPON applications, and comes with user side interface selection of 8x1-Gbit/sec SGMIIs for EPON, or 4x2.5-Gbit/sec SGMII for GPON together...

GPON optical network terminals.(SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... By integrating advanced fiber to the-premises (FTTP) and radio frequency-over-glass (RFoG) technologies, the Calix 725 GPON optical network terminal helps service providers meet consumer demand for advanced broadband and entertainment services...

PON extension system.(SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... The PON.ext is a transparent, alloptical system that offers alloptical gain up to 20 dB, and is fully compatible with both the 1,490-nm downstream and 1,310-nm burst-mode upstream optical signals used in GPON, GEPON, and BPON networks. The...

Multiservice access platform.(SYSTEMS)
April 1, 2008... A newly released Gigabit Ethernet multiservice access platform (MSAP), the JumboSwitch product family, is based on advanced Ethernet/ IP, VoIP, and TDMoIP technologies. It is designed to offer an efficient, low-cost alternative to SONET/SDH...

Tunable SFF transponder.(SUBSYSTEMS)(small-form-factor)(Bookham Technology PLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A zero-chip variant of the LambdaFLEX TL9000 300-pin transponder is believed to be the industry's first fully Telcordia-qualified tunable small-form-factor transponder (TSFF). The TSFF's footprint is 58% smaller than previous-generation tunable...

Compact splitter cassette.(SUBSYSTEMS)(Alliance Fiber Optic Products Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... PLC splitter cassettes meet requirements for today's FTTX applications in adverse environments. Designed with 1x4, 1x8, 1x16, or 1x32 splitters in a streamlined, compact (100x80x10 mm) cassette for modular installation in multiple dwelling...

Stressed eye measurement suite.(TEST EQUIPMENT)(Anritsu Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The MP1800A series signal quality analyzers can now be equipped with a stressed eye measurement suite. The hardware and software provides designers and manufacturers of 10GBase-L/10GBase-E optical modules and transmission equipment with reduced...

Fiber inspection probe.(TEST EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... The new FIP-400 fiber inspection probe helps network service providers improve their fault-detection rate with high resolution (detection of faults and scratches down to 1 [micro]m) while enabling a reduction in capex with a durable...

LX4 converter tap.(TEST EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... The flexibility to see traffic on 10GBase-LX4 networks is delivered via the use of 10-Gbit XFP monitoring port interfaces within the LX4 converter tap chassis. An IT operations staff can now use an existing 10-Gbit monitoring tool to safely...

40/43G model for modular test platform.(TEST EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... The portable Network Information Computer (NIC) series of software-based, modular test systems is now available with a 40/43-Gbit testing module. For telecom and datacom applications, the module can be configured in the NIC Plus (portable) or...

WSS ROADM with integrated channel monitor.(TEST EQUIPMENT)(wavelength-selective switch reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer)(Optium Corp)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The LCoS-based wavelength-selective switch (WSS) reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) now features an integrated optical channel monitor (OCM). The WSS OCM is designed to accurately measure channel power for optical signals up to...

Intelligent control planes ensure network survival.(Applications: Innovative component, subsystem, system, and network design examples and alternatives)
April 1, 2008... As network operators extend their optical networks globally, they are also driving higher-speed links into smaller end-user sites to enable high-value applications for consumers, businesses, and government organizations alike. Video and voice...

Verizon Business trials AFOX technology.(CASE BY CASE)
April 1, 2008... Verizon Business (www.verizonbusiness.com) recently announced details of a field trial it conducted late last year of technology to automate one of the last remaining manual functions in the network: fiber connections. While the trial was a...

CEOs describe strategies for profitability.(ANALYST CORNER)(Company overview)
April 1, 2008... Much of the talk among executives and observers at OFC/ NFOEC in San Diego centered on the economy; would recession in the U.S. trigger another downturn in the optical communications industry? Optical components and subsystems suppliers,...

40/100GbE market to net $4.3b by 2016.(MARKET WATCH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The IEEE's efforts to create 40- and 100-Gigabit Ethernets (40/100GbE) will result in $4.3 billion in annual revenues by 2016, according to a new report from CIR (www.cir-inc. com). While the initial demand for the new networking speeds will...

Carriers report 90-100% increase in Ethernet traffic.(MARKET WATCH)
April 1, 2008... In a recent study by Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com) to determine the data network evolution plans and router and switch requirements of service providers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the increasing importance of...

FTTH to expand in Asia Pacific.(MARKET WATCH)(fiber to the home)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... In a new study focused on residential FTTH in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), ABI Research (www. abiresearch.com) finds that different markets within the region are currently in very different stages of broadband growth. "While broadband...