Lightwave articles from January 2003

Lightwave archives from January 2003

Vendors eye utility telecom market. (Trends).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... When the Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) in central Washington State needed to upgrade the copper and microwave network between its substations, switch towers, and hydroelectric facilities, fiber was the obvious choice. The big...

10-Gigabit Ethernet devices 'stressed' by new test. (Technology).
January 1, 2003... There's one segment of the telecommunications industry that isn't afraid of a little stress. Ratified in May, the IEEE 802.3ae specification describes a new method for testing 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) devices using a degraded or stressed...

Active-component manufacturing not so active in China. (Trends).
January 1, 2003... China will soon be the dominant source of passive-component manufacturing worldwide, if not already. Most component companies agree that lowering production costs may mean survival in today's low-volume, over-crowded optical-component market....

Small-form optical fibers. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... In recent years, a wide range of standard small-form optical fibers (particularly 80-mm cladding diameter) have become a "must have" platform offered by almost all major optical fiber manufacturers. Small outside diameter (OD) optical fibers...

Taking it to the streets: flexible metro optical networks. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... MANS must accommodate reconfigurations and upgrades. New customers are added to the network, leave the network, change locations, and change their bandwidth requirements and service types. Additionally, new services may be introduced by the...

Automating 'high-mix, low-volume' manufacturing of optical components. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The primary evolutionary catalysts many industries share--fiber-optic market being no exception--is automation, specifically the ability to manufacture a high product mix at low volumes. That is a vast departure from the current photonics...

OSS and software architecture. (Online).(operational-support-system software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Traditional operational-support-system software selection has focused on the features and functions of specific applications. But increasingly, technology savvy service providers are realizing that the underlying software architecture may be...

'Thousand-by-thousand,' where art thou? (Online).(three-dimensional MEMS photonic crossconnects unavailable)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The billion-dollar market opportunity promised for three-dimensional MEMS photonic crossconnects (PXCs), with their supposedly "thousand-by-thousand" port count, clearly did not materialize When the industry recovers, will carriers still see a...

Eliminating the jitter in SONET OC-48 optical-transceiver modules. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... There currently is no industry-accepted standard methodology for measuring the jitter contributed by SONET OC-48 optical-transceiver modules. Here, we'll propose a standard test methodology for measuring the SONET jitter in these transceiver...

Storage over existing SONET networks. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Storage over existing SONET networks is a business strategy that enables carriers to leverage their existing network infrastructure and operations to quickly launch new storage transport services for enterprises. At the same time, enterprises...

Quick vote. (Online).(trade show attendance survey)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... QUICK VOTE We asked visitors to Lightwave Online the following question: "How will your company change its trade show attendance in 2003?" Precentage of respondents * We'll go to fewer shows 60% We'll go to more...

Group Telecom. (Industry Update: North America).(acquired by 360networks)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... 360networks, a Toronto-based provider of wholesale and data telecommunications services, will acquire Group Telecom (Vancouver, British Columbia), Canada's largest independent, facilities-based telecom provider. Terms of the cash acquisition...

Optical Solutions. (Industry Update: North America).(FiberPath 400 )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Fiber-to-the-home vendor Optical Solutions (Minneapolis) reported that its flagship product, FiberPath 400, has been accepted by the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) as the first...

Agilent Technologies. (Industry Update: North America).(to develop laboratory for Boston University)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Test equipment manufacturer Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, CA) and the Photonics Center at Boston University (Boston) will collaborate to develop a state-of-the-art laboratory. Expected to open next month, the laboratory will enable...

FiberNet Telecom Group. (Industry Update: North America).(signs agreement withg BT North America )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... FiberNet Telecom Group (New York City), a provider of metropolitan optical connectivity, announced an agreement with BT North America, a subsidiary of British Telecommunications, to provide collocation services in New York City. FiberNet...

Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). (Industry Update: North America).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) has established a formal cooperative relationship with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to facilitate the implementation of metro Ethernet standards. The announcement was made at the MEF's...

WaveSmith Networks. (Industry Update: North America).(receives $30 million in funding)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Multiservice switching vendor WaveSmith Networks (Acton, MA) closed a $30-million third round of financing, bringing the company's total amount raised to $84.5 million. New investors in the round include Argonaut Private Equity and Ciena...

LightPointe. (Industry Update: North America).(receives patent on optical free-space optics )
January 1, 2003... LightPointe (San Diego), a manufacturer and designer of carrier class transmission equipment using free-space optics (FSO) technology, reported that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has granted the company a new patent related to its...

COLT Telecom Group. (Industry Update: Europe).(aids in support services for 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... London-based COLT Telecom Group, a European provider of business communications services, and free-space optics company AirFiber (San Diego), collaborated in the provisioning of network support services for the MTV Europe Music Awards 2002,...

Lumentis AB. (Industry Update: Europe).(wins Sweden wireless network contract)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Lumentis AB (Stockholm), announced a contract to build the 30 network transport using its SDH technology for the Hi3G (Stockholm) mobile network in Sweden's Malmo region. Lumentis has earlier successfully delivered and installed similar...

Cisco Systems. (Industry Update: Europe).(invests in Optillion transceiver )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Fiber-optic-transceiver supplier Optillion (Stockholm) concluded its Series C financing round, raising an additional $15 million. Led by Crescendo Ventures, Cisco Systems, TACT, and Investor AB via Investor Growth Capital, its venture capital...

ADVA Optical Networking. (Industry Update: Europe).(Telecom Italia uses Fiber Service Platform 3000)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Optical-networking equipment maker ADVA Optical Networking (Martinsried/Munich, Germany) reported that incumbent European carrier Telecom Italia has deployed its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000 product to build up metro-network infrastructure...

Oplink Communications. (Industry Update: Asia).(expands manufacturing services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Component manufacturer Oplink Communications (San Jose, CA), whose primary manufacturing facility is located in Zhuhai, China, plans to expand its optical manufacturing services. To meet the market demand for higher levels of integrated optical...

Broadtechs Electronics. (Industry Update: Asia).(to distribute Opto Speed's optoelectronic modules )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Opto Speed (Ruschlikon, Switzerland), a developer and manufacturer of optoelectronic modules for communications, test and measurement, medical, and defense markets, announced a distribution agreement with Broadtechs Electronics, a...

OMM. (Industry Update: Asia).(ZTE employs OMM's micro-electromechanical systems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... OMM, a San Diego-based supplier of the micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) in all-optical switching modules, reported that ZTE of Shenzhen, China, has incorporated OMM's products into the optical-crossconnect (OXC) functionality of its...

Lynx Photonic Networks. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Switching-subsystem vendor Lynx Photonic Networks (Calabasas, CA) is entering the China market and will market its products through distributor Luster Lightwave. Evaluations of the company's silica-on-silicon, solid-state photonic switches are...

Artel Video Systems. (Industry Update: Asia).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Artel Video Systems (Marlboro, MA), a provider of video transport solutions to the cable television, satellite, and telecommunications industries, signed on Harbin Dongyan Electronics as a premier channel partner for the Heilongjiang, Jilin,...

Verrillon. (Industry Update: Africa - Middle East Australia).(acquires ADC's passive photonic-component division in Australia)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Specialty optical-fiber manufacturer Verrillon (North Grafton, MA) acquired ADC's (Eden Prairie, MN) passive photonic-components business unit in Canberra, Australia. ADC transferred to Verrillon its development, production, and testing...

Ethernet: flavor of the month? (Editorial).(Editorial)
January 1, 2003... Two years ago, 1 participated in a panel at a conference in Paris. Much of the discussion centered on IP and how it would become the protocol of choice for just about every service imaginable, thanks to the advent of MPLS. Just to be contrary,...

Scare tactics. (Regulation & Policy).
January 1, 2003... The fiber industry's precarious state has prompted private consideration of a governmental role in financing telecommunications infrastructure in the United States. Last September, Corning sponsored a study called "Broadband Stimulation in...

Positive signposts ahead for 2003. (Wall Street & Finance).(fiber optics industry forecast)
January 1, 2003... In mid-November, we had the opportunity to attend market researcher RHK's STARTRAX Conference, a worthwhile event :for many reasons, but most important, we came away with a number of cues that signals 2003 is likely to prove to be the year for...

Optoelectronics industry begins restructuring. (Analyst Corner).
January 1, 2003... The dramatic drop in sales revenue over the past two years has driven drastic restructuring of the major vendors at the network and component levels of the fiber-optic industry. As growth resumes in 2003-04, the industry structure will have...

TIA members examine ribbon fiber skew issue. (Standards Watch).(Telecommunications Industry Association)
January 1, 2003... Meeting the impending challenge of parallel data transmission using fiber optics places severe demands on timing skew between the channels. Often, re-clocking electronics is used to automatically deskew the data at the receive end. However,...

Ensuring service quality in optical Ethernet networks: the ability to engineer and manage traffic is an essential requirement of any next-generation infrastructure. (Special Report: Optical Data Networks).
January 1, 2003... Until recently, service providers attempting to deliver next-generation multimedia services to enterprise customers in metropolitan-area networks were at a major disadvantage. The only transport methods available to ensure delivery of...

Component technologies at bargain basement prices: optical-component portfolios and other assets may come cheap, but should buyers beware? (Business Intelligence: Bargain Hunting).(Acquisition spree in optical-component sector)
January 1, 2003... Everybody loves a bargain. But companies rummaging through the technology bins of component startups and financially challenged incumbents face some tough decisions when evaluating potential acquisitions. After the component shortages of...

OSS automation: the value, hype, and everything in between; despite the many challenges, effective automated operational-support-system solutions are possible. (Technology & Profits: OSS & Network Management).
January 1, 2003... Service providers are constantly bombarded with software companies in the operational-support-system (OSS) market that claim automation will solve all their provisioning, inventory management, and billing problems. There are countless vendors...

FEC coding for dispersion compensation in transponders. (Electronics for Optics: Forward Error Correction).
January 1, 2003... While not directly addressing the causes of dispersion losses, FEC can provide a cost-effective solution to the problems dispersion creates in 10-Gbit/sec metro transponders. Current MANs typically comprise OC-12 and OC-48 SONET/SDH rings....

Cisco launches ONS 15600 for metro aggregation, switching. (Systems).
January 1, 2003... Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) recently unveiled the ONS 15600, a multiservice switching platform (MSSP) for metro networks that integrates SONET/SDH add/drop multiplexing (ADM) with optical switching in a single platform. The 15600 eliminates...

Future belongs to 980-nm pumps. (Tech Trends).
January 1, 2003... The market for pump-laser modules is by all accounts abysmally slow, but innovation continues nonetheless. The quality of the laser chips improves by 50% each year in terms of power at constant reliability, contends Toby Strite, marketing...

Multirate VCSEL driver. (Components).(Maxim Integrated Products MAX3740)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Touted by the company as "the first 3.3-V multirate common cathode VCSEL driver to meet all requirements for SFP [small-form-factor-pluggable] modules with digital diagnostics," the MAX3740 features automatic power control, provides excellent...

980-nm laser diodes. (Components).(Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics ML861E5S)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The ML861E5S 980-nm ridge-wavelength pump-laser diode achieves an ultra-high peak power output of 1,100 mW in DWDM applications without the danger of catastrophic optical damage, because it does not absorb the light power output. The window...

80-Gbit/sec switching chip. (Components).(Agere Systems PI-40SAX)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Characterized by the company as the "fastest switching chip that switches voice, data, and video signals at an aggregated switching speed of 80 Gbits/sec, guaranteeing a minimum of 40 Gbits/sec of speed and bandwidth," the Protocol Independent...

Extended-reach EDFAs. (Systems & Subsystems).(Movaz Networks RAYexpress erbium-doped fiber amplifier )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... RAYextender erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) provide extended all-optical reach for single-span and multispan systems in concurrent 2.5- and 10-Gbit/sec DWDM transport. The NEBS 3-compliant and carrier class EDFAs incorporate gain...

Reconfigurable blocking filter. (Systems & Subsystems).(Silicon Light Machines SLM 3000)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The SLM 3000 reconfigurable blocking filter (RBF) provides dynamic wavelength management capabilities for DWDM optical networks. Designed for use in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers, the RBF blocks any or all wavelengths, offering...

48-Gbit/sec mux/demux. (Test Equipment).(Anritsu MP1811A)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The MP1811A 48-Gbit/sec multiplexer provides ow jitter, low distortion output and MP1812A 48-Gbit/sec demultiplexer Q-value measurement capability. They can be controlled from an external PC via GPIB, allowing them to be easily integrated into...

Low-loss channel selector. (Test Equipment).(EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering FTB-9130)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... For commissioning and lighting new channels, the FTB-9310 channel selector allows network operators to select and isolate, with 4-dB insertion loss levels, any ITU DWDM channel in the C-band for bit-error-rate testing and protocol layer...

Fully automatic cleaver. (Manufacturing & Design).(Nyfors Teknologi AutoCleaver)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Adapted for mass production of optical components and subsystems, the AutoCleaver is a fully automatic high-precision fiber cleaver, with typical cleave angle of 0.3 degree. A built-in microprocessor controls all the vital parameters and...

Optical Internetworking Forum. (People: OIF Names Directors).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF--Fremont, CA) has elected a new board of directors, which oversees the long-term direction of the OIF and coordinates the efforts of its working groups. Joe Berthold, vice president of network architecture...

Olympus Partnership Development Group (PDG). (People: OIF Names Directors).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Olympus Partnership Development Group (PDG), formed as part of Olympus Integrated Technologies America, has appointed Peter Wang to optical product marketing manager. Wang, who has more than 12 years' engineering experience in laser-system...

Lucent Technologies. (People: OIF Names Directors).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Rudolf Kazarinov has been named chief scientist at integrated optical-component subsystems manufacturer Inplane Photonics, where he is referred to as the "father of modern semiconductor lasers." With 25 years of experience in the fiber optics...

Oplink Communications. (People: OIF Names Directors).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... One-time chairman, president, and chief executive of Oplink Communications, Joseph Y. Liu rejoins the company as president and CEO, succeeding Fred Fromm, who has resigned to pursue personal interests. Liu founded the optical subsystems...

Agere Systems. (People: OIF Names Directors).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Thomas Linton is the new chief procurement officer at advanced IC provider Agere Systems, responsible for the development and implementation of the company's global procurement strategy and management system. He will be based in Singapore,...

Calendar.(fiber optics industry)(Calendar)
January 1, 2003... January 19-23 PTC2003 25th annual conference: Global Broadband/Global Challenges. In Honolulu by the Pacific Telecommunications Council. Tel: 808941-3789, fax: 808-944-4874, Website: http://www.ptc.org/ptc2003/. 20-22 SuperComm India...

10-Gbit/sec transceiver revenues to leap beyond $3 billion by 2006. (Market Watch).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Worldwide consumption of 10-Gbit/sec data communications transceivers is projected to rise from its $68.7-million mark in 2001 to $3.26 billion by 2006, according to a new study from ElectroniCast Corp. (San Mateo, CA). "The high-speed datacom...

China's telecommunications market grows steadily; subscribers to double by 2005. (Market Watch).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... As North America and Europe continue to experience a prolonged slump in sales of optical equipment and components, China has emerged as "one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal market environment," asserts a new report from...

FTTH installations to reach 1 million homes by next year. (Market Watch).(Fiber-to-the-Home )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) installations are expected to jump 330% in 2003, increasing from 72,100 to 315,000 homes passed--and ultimately reaching between 800,000 and 1.4 million homes by 2004, details a new study from the FTTH Council. ...

FIS training specialist. (Ask Bruno).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Q: I've been told that polishing ceramic ferrules on glass is improper technique. Why? A: Only stainless steel ferrules should be polished on glass. Stainless steel ferrules have flat ends that match the flat plane of the glass. ...

Hot off the press. (Industry update).(IEEE approves resilient-packet-ring technology standard )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Resilient Packet Ring Alliance (San Jose, CA), an industry advocacy group promoting resilient-packet-ring (RPR) technology and its standardization by the New York City-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),...

Web - directory.(Brief Article)(Directory)
January 1, 2003... FIBER - OPTIC INDUSTRY Ablestik Building a Better Bond www.ablestik.com O-Net Communications Ltd. O-net offers a variety of passive, active, integrated optical and crystal components as well as sub-systems. ...

Fiber-optic.(products and manufacturers)
January 1, 2003... manufacturer ABLESTIK 20021 Susana Road, Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221 PH: 310-764-4600, FX: 310-764-2545, EMAIL: jilla.senkbeil@ablestik.com, WEB.www.ablestik.com Ablestik offers the most complete line of adhesives for fiber...