Lightwave articles from January 2004

Lightwave archives from January 2004

Optical packet transmission is returning to fashion.(Technology)
January 1, 2004... Back when all-optical networks seemed right around the corner, figuring out how to route packets optically looked like the next major technical challenge. Economic realities have pushed "right around the corner" well down the street, yet...

Verizon taps AFC for FTTP equipment.(Industry)
January 1, 2004... It was eight months ago that Verizon Communications, BellSouth, and SBC adopted technical standards and issued a joint request for proposal for fiber to the premises (FTTP) equipment. As the first of the trio to publicly award an FTTP contract,...

Carriers profit from 'SAN-in-MAN' managed storage services.(Applications)
January 1, 2004... Carriers have seen few new demand-driven revenue opportunities materialize over the last two and a half years, but here's one that is clearly coming into focus: fully managed SAN services. The enterprise market demand is there, as evidenced...

FiberCore (Charlton, MA), manufacturer and global supplier of optical fiber and preform for the telecom/datacom markets, voluntarily filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts, Western Division, in November.(North America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... FiberCore (Charlton, MA), manufacturer and global supplier of optical fiber and preform for the telecom/datacom markets, voluntarily filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the...

DMG Technologies (industry, CA), a manufacturer of optical subassemblies and Adtech Technologies (industry), designer of semiconductor-based optoelectronic devices, announced the formation of a partnership in which the two companies have pooled resources to establish Netchip, a Los Angeles-based optoelectronics semiconductor foundry.(North America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... DMG Technologies (industry, CA), a manufacturer of optical subassemblies and Adtech Technologies (industry), designer of semiconductor-based optoelectronic devices, announced the formation of a partnership in which the two companies have pooled...

Metro Ethernet Forum.(North America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF--Newport Beach, CA) ratified a technical specification that enables service providers to use a common service model for carrier class Ethernet service capabilities. The new standard, MEF Technical...

TeraXion.(North America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Component supplier TeraXion (Quebec City) reported that its ClearSpectrum dispersion compensation module based on fiber Bragg grating technology has successfully completed rigorous environmental tests that correspond with Telcordia GR-1209 and...

Triformix.(North America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Triformix (Santa Rosa, CA), a precision-molded optical components company specializing in optical semiconductor packaging, announced it has closed an additional round of investment totaling $5.2 million. The oversubscribed second round brings...

Guatemalan network operator Fibranet SA is using Stockholm-based optical transport equipment supplier Lumentis' Mentis platform to provide 2.5-Gbit/sec wavelengths over a 526-km regional network from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, one of the landing points of the ARCOS network, to Guatemala City and San Salvador.(Central America)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Guatemalan network operator Fibranet SA is using Stockholm-based optical transport equipment supplier Lumentis' Mentis platform to provide 2.5-Gbit/sec wavelengths over a 526-km regional network from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, one of the...

FastWeb.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... FastWeb (Milan, Italy), e.Biscom's telecom company, is installing a fiber-optic network in northeastern Italy that will cover the cities of Venice and Mestre and the lagoon islands. The three-year project will cost 60 million euros and use a...

Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke (CKW), the regional power-utility company serving the Swiss Canton of Lucerne, is deploying the Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) ONS 15300 series multiservice optical platforms to create a single network between power stations, remote offices, and its central headquarters.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke (CKW), the regional power-utility company serving the Swiss Canton of Lucerne, is deploying the Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) ONS 15300 series multiservice optical platforms to create a single network between...

British Telecommunications plc.(Hotpick)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... British Telecommunications plc (BT--London) announced the settlement of its patent infringement litigation against Cincinnati Bell and Broadwing Communications. The litigation was brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware...

Verizon Communications (New York City) approved ADC's Passive Fiber Optic Component (PFOC) Test Lab (Shakopee, MN) under the Verizon Independent PFOC Test Lab Witnessing Program.(update)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Verizon Communications (New York City) approved ADC's Passive Fiber Optic Component (PFOC) Test Lab (Shakopee, MN) under the Verizon Independent PFOC Test Lab Witnessing Program. ADC's lab is the first facility to receive certification to...

Deutsche Telekom AG selected optical Ethernet equipment company Atrica (Sunnyvale, CA) as one of the suppliers for its Global Seamless Network (GSN) project.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Deutsche Telekom AG selected optical Ethernet equipment company Atrica (Sunnyvale, CA) as one of the suppliers for its Global Seamless Network (GSN) project. The GSN project is a fully operational, multivendor interoperability demonstration of...

Alcatel (Paris) and OMMIC are collaborating on the transfer of Alcatel's advanced indium phosphide (InP) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology to OMMIC's industrial cleanrooms at its facility in Limeil-Brevannes, France.(Europe)
January 1, 2004... Alcatel (Paris) and OMMIC are collaborating on the transfer of Alcatel's advanced indium phosphide (InP) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology to OMMIC's industrial cleanrooms at its facility in Limeil-Brevannes, France. This...

ASIP (Somerset, NJ) and ThreeFive Photonics BV, two pioneers in the development of advanced photonic ICs, completed a merger between the two companies.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... ASIP (Somerset, N J) and ThreeFive Photonics BV, two pioneers in the development of advanced photonic ICs, completed a merger between the two companies. The combined company will be known as ASIP with ThreeFive operating in the Netherlands as a...

ADVA Optical Networking.(europe)
January 1, 2004... ADVA Optical Networking (Martinsried/Munich, Germany) announced New York metro carrier Con Edison Communications (CEC) as a customer for its DWDM Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000. A subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, which is also the parent...

NEC (Tokyo) completed construction of a submarine optical-cable network named TIS (Thailand-Indonesia-Singapore) Cable Network for a consortium formed by CAT Telecom Public Co. of Thailand, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk of Indonesia, and Singapore Telecommunications of Singapore.(Asia)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... NEC (Tokyo) completed construction of a submarine optical-cable network named TIS (Thailand-Indonesia-Singapore) Cable Network for a consortium formed by CAT Telecom Public Co. of Thailand, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk of Indonesia, and...

Koncent Communication, Shanghai Uniwave Technologies, Fujian Sandgy Optronics, and Fuzhou Microlattice Semiconductor agreed to merge together into a new company called Photop Technologies (Fuzhou, China).(Asia)(Uniwave Technologies, Fujian Sandgy Optronics, and Fuzhou Microlattice Semiconductor agreed to merge together into a new company called Photop Technologies (Fuzhou, China))(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Koncent Communication, Shanghai Uniwave Technologies, Fujian Sandgy Optronics, and Fuzhou Microlattice Semiconductor agreed to merge together into a new company called Photop Technologies (Fuzhou, China). Photop Technologies will offer passive...

MetroPhotonics.(Asia)(MetroPhotonics (Ottawa, Ontario) announces an exclusive partnership with Mitsubishi (Tokyo) )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... MetroPhotonics (Ottawa, Ontario), developer of photonic ICs for access, metro, and long-haul networks, announced an exclusive partnership with Mitsubishi (Tokyo) to distribute MetroPhotonics' SurePath product portfolio in Japan and other...

Ciena.(Asia)(Ciena (Linthicum, MD) announces a multiyear contract with Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel--Comcentre, Singapore))(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Ciena (Linthicum, MD) announced a multiyear contract with Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel--Comcentre, Singapore), Singapore's dominant provider of telecommunications services, for Ciena's Online Edge multiservice access platform. The...

Diagnostic tools for manufacturing optical fiber.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Increased market pressure for higher-quality fiber and lower production costs challenges manufacturers to continually improve their processes through closer monitoring and increased automation. There is a clear cause-effect relationship between...

About face.(Editorial)(SBC Communications Inc.)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... Last October, I blasted SBC for statements that led me to believe the carrier had leapt off the fiber to the premises (FTTP) bus (see "Everyone off the bandwagon?" October 2003, p. 12). I feel obligated to take back at least some of what I said...

Evolving telecom landscape tests the testers.(Viewpoint)
January 1, 2004... The test and measurement industry has been experiencing a similar roller-coaster ride to that experienced by the network equipment and component manufacturers in recent years. It was not so long ago that the biggest challenges in the test...

FIS training specialist.(Ask Bruno)
January 1, 2004... Q I've read about Visual Light Testers, Optical Loss Test Sets, and a host of other testing devices. Can't I just use an OTDR to do all my testing? A In theory, yes. However, some test routines are so simple that using an OTDR would be...

Evolutionary trends in pluggable optical modules.(Technology: advance in research, development, engineering, and standards)
January 1, 2004... Enabled by advances in uncooled DFB laser technology, serializer/deserializer (SerDes) ICs, and transmitter/receiver optical subassembly (TOSA/ROSA) packaging, pluggable optical modules are now firmly established in the design of optical...

Status quo for tunable lasers?(Tech Trends)
January 1, 2004... For the past several years, we've been hearing about the great promise of tunable lasers for applications like provisioning "on the fly." Is this just wishful thinking on the part of tunable-laser vendors or are the carriers really considering...

IEC TC86 views fibers, components, systems.(Standards Watch)(The 67th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and its Technical Committee TC86 ("Fibre Optics") held in Montreal )
January 1, 2004... The 67th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and its Technical Committee TC86 ("Fibre Optics") held in Montreal last October weighed several issues concerning fiber, components, systems, and subsystems. ...

Inline optical polarization analyzer.(Test Equipment)(Opteilios' PS2300B inline optical polarization analyzer )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Designed to preserve the properties of light passing through, the PS2300B inline optical polarization analyzer obtains real time polarization information without interrupting the optical signal. The small insertion loss and ultra-small...

10-plus-Gbit/sec multirate transceiver.(Test Equipment)(EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering's EPX6100 transceiver )
January 1, 2004... For carriers commissioning and turning up new services on multiservice switching platforms, the 10-plus-Gbit/sec multirate EPX6100 transceiver with deep channelization and mixed-payload concatenations is a test module housed inside the scalable...

Indoor/outdoor high-density FTTX cabinets.(Installation)
January 1, 2004... For high-density fiber to the X applications, the NEMA-12-rated TICE series wallmount cabinets provide increased protection from indoor contaminants, accommodate up to 144 fibers, and come in a range of sizes. Dual-hinged design ensures...

'Ecosystem-on-a-chip' a gem.(Product Profile)(Crimson Microsystems Ruby)
January 1, 2004... The problem with today's networks isn't a lack of capacity, say the folks at startup Crimson Microsystems (Pleasanton, CA)--it's inefficiency. Service providers would like to offer next-generation services--and there's a lot of potential demand...

Interactive 3-D viewing design software.(Design & Manufacturing)(Optical Research's CODE V 9.4)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... CODE V release 9.4's interactive 3-D viewing empowers users to create detailed renderings (solid, translucent, or wire frame) of an optical system, which can be dynamically rotated, panned, and zoomed. Within the interactive 3-D model, surface...

GbE, FE, UTP media converters.(Systems)(from Omnitron Systems Technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... For enterprise LAN as well as MAN first mile applications, four additional iConverter-managed media-converter modules include advanced fiber-to-fiber Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to GbE (GX/X), GbE to Fast Ethernet (FE) (GX/F), FE to FE (2Fx), and...

High-density multiservice metro platform.(Systems)(from Marconi)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The optical multiservice metro 16-64 platform allows operators to support increasing levels of data traffic seamlessly alongside existing voice and other services. It is a high-density, full-connectivity service delivery platform as well as a...

High-speed, rapidly deployed FSO system.(Systems)(fSONA Communications SONAbeam E series)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... For rapid deployment of high-speed communications, the free-space optics (FSO) SONAbeam E series includes two redundant high-powered lasers transmitting at 1550 nm within a simple environmentally sealed housing and transmits at distances from...

Pre-polished singlemode connectors.(Components)(AMP NetConnect LightCrimp Plus)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The LightCrimp Plus singlemode connectors' new fiber-splice-engine technology allows for the precision alignment of cabled fiber to the factory-polished stubbed ferrule, enabling installers to obtain low insertion loss and low reflectance. The...

Rackmount variable attenuator enclosure.(Components)(from Johanson Fiber Optics Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Designed for deployment of CWDM and DWDM systems, the VAC-PAK modular rackmount attenuator enclosure allows up to 16 singlemode channels in four-channel increments to be individually attenuated from 1 to 30 dB. Attenuation adjustment is simple...

Fiber stub SC, ST connectors.(Components)(Pass & Seymour/Legrand OptiSmart )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... "One of the most critical steps in fiber termination is scribing," notes product manager Nancy Santana-Pedersen. "If there is a mistake at this step, the contractor must cut the connector off and restart the whole termination process." With...

3-wavelength PON transceiver.(Subsystems)(Broadlight BTT-N-61)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The BTT-N-61 three-wavelength burst-mode optical-network terminal transceiver with embedded analog video receiver supports 622 Mbits/sec downstream and 155 Mbits/sec upstream. Successfully completing lab trials with triple play equipment...

Benefits of link capacity adjustment scheme in EoS.(Focus on)
January 1, 2004... Ethernet over SONET/SDH (EoS) capabilities will serve as a cornerstone of next-generation systems. These capabilities are also being added to virtually every type of existing SONET/SDH equipment. Virtual concatenation (VC) and generic framing...

Government market stumps for ABF.(Case By Case)(air-blown fiber)
January 1, 2004... The government market has provided an alternative customer base for several optical component and system suppliers. Such customers also appear to have taken up the banner for air-blown fiber (ABF), if the experiences of Bell Canada Enterprises...

New SONET era spurs framer/mapper usage.(Industry: opportunities, market intelligence, and forecasts to improve your bottom line)
January 1, 2004... As the telecommunications industry slowly pulls itself out of acute depression, a major emerging issue will be what the next generation of infrastructure will look like. While we should always expect the unexpected--networking technology will...

Growth seen for global optoelectronics market.(Analyst Corner)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... The economic slowdown has negatively impacted the global optoelectronics (OE) market, resulting in reduced demand from end-user industries such as computers and telecommunications. The industry is left with over-capacity that has also led to...

Ablestik.(Materials)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 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 optic and optoelectronic applications....

ELS Elektronik Laser System GMBH.(Design and Test)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Reinheimer Strasse 11, Gross-Zimmern, D-64846 Germany PH: +49-6162-969860, FX: +49-6162-919723, EMAIL: info@els.de, WEB: www.optopackaging.com From bar level to finished modules, ELS offers state-of-the-art test and production equipment....

RSoft Design Group.(Design and Test)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... E: info@rsoftdesign.com, www.rsoftdesign.com Physical-Layer Division, 200 Executive Blvd, Ossining, NY, 10562, USA, 914-923-2164 Network-Layer Division, 19 Christopher Way, Eatontown, N J, 07724, USA, 732-380-2620 RSoft provides a suite of...

AFL Telecommunications.(Component/Subsystems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... P.O. Box 3127, Spartanburg, SC 29334 PH: 864.433.0333, FX: 864.433.5560, EMAIL: afltele@alcoa.com, WEB: www.afltele.com AFL Telecommunications is an industry leader in providing fiber optic products, engineering expertise and integrated...

Infineon Technologies North America Corp.(Component/Subsystems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 1730 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95112 PH: +1 (408) 501-5739, FAX: +1 (408) 501-5670, E-Mail: alexander.hoffmann@infineon.com, Web: www.infineon.com As an industry leader in fiber optic technology, Infineon offers a standardized...

Kyosemi-USA, LLC.(Component/Subsystems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 368 S Abbott Avenue, Milpitas, CA 95035 USA PH: 408-946-8836, FX: 408-946-8839, EMAIL: info@kyosemi-usa.com, WEB: www.kyosemi-usa.com Kyoto Semiconductor Corporation (Kyosemi) manufactures standard and custom InGaAs Photo detectors, PIN...

NKT Integration A/S.(Component/Subsystems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Blokken 84 DK-3460 Birkeroed Denmark PH: +45 4590 3000, FAX: +45 4590 3001, EMAIL: info@nktintegration.com, WEB: www.nktintegration.com Provides foundry service for volume production of integrated optical planar waveguide circuits. The...

O-m6 Technologies.(Component/Subsystems)
January 1, 2004... 14163, Rd. 117, Suite 90, Mirabel, Qc, Canada, J7J 1M3, PH: (450) 979-2275, FX: (450) 979-4110, WEB: www.om6.com O-m6 Technologies is a leading manufacturer of Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies. Our production facility can respond rapidly to...

PD-LD, Inc.(Component/Subsystems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 30-B Pennington-Hopewell Road, Pennington, NJ 08534 PH: 609-924-7900, FX: 609-924-7901, EMAIL: info@pd-ld.com, WEB: www.pdld.com Provides coaxial pigtailed or receptacle short and long wavelength (635-1550 nm)lasers, LED's (850-1310 nm),...

Prior Scientific, Inc.(Test & Measurement)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 80 Reservoir Park Drive,, Rockland, MA 02370 PH: 781-878-8442, FX: 781-878-8736, EMAIL: info@pdor.com, WEB: www.prior.com Prior Scientific, Inc., designs and manufactures a full line of fiber optic microscopy inspection equipment,...

Kingfisher International Pty Ltd.(Test & Measurement)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 30 Rocco Drive, Scoresby, Victoria 3179 Australia PH: + 613 9757 4100, FX: + 613 9757 4193, EMAIL: sales@kingfisher.com.au, WEB: www.kingfisher.com.au Established in 1986 family owned, Kingfisher is a specialist manufacturer of fiber optic...

Worldwide switching, routing market shows upswing.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... The worldwide switching and routing market grew 7% sequentially in the third quarter of last year, following a second quarter that was basically, flat, reveals a new study from market researcher P, HK (South San Francisco). Both core and edge...

Service providers to invest data-network convergence.(Market Watch)(according to Infonetics Research)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... Many North American and European service providers are planning transitions from their current networks to next-generation MPLS converged networks, according to a new study from Infonetics Research (Woburn, MA). Despite a lean...

Stronger growth seen for global 10-Gbit/sec systems segment.(Market Watch)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... After three years of poor industry performance, the worldwide market for 10-Gbit/sec systems will stage a modest recovery this year and should enjoy stronger growth starting in 2005, eventually reaching $3.2 billion in sales by 2008, details a...

Just what do we think we're doing?(About this sourcebook)
January 1, 2004... Yes, we've done it again--we've changed the format of our Optical Engineering Sourcebook. You won't find a single table in this publication. Not because we don't think the tables have value--we do. We just don't think that setting them in stone...

Vendors find comfort in consolidation.
January 1, 2004... Generals and politicians have frequently embraced "divide and conquer" as a strategic approach to mastering their foes. However, the opposite has proved axiomatic in the optical communications components and subsystems space. Many of the top...

Incumbent suppliers poised for turnaround.
January 1, 2004... The optical systems market is set to experience a 2% growth in sales this year, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Simon Leopold--good news considering the last three years have seen sales declines of 35%, 49%, and 21%, respectively. Optical...

They're not shy about testing the waters.
January 1, 2004... Because optical test equipment vendors must remain a few steps ahead of the industry in terms of technology, they continue to invest in R&D even in the face of declining revenues. The following Top 5 test companies proved the most adept at...

Growing Asia markets feed home-bred giants.
January 1, 2004... When the telecom market imploded in 2000, taking much of the optical communications industry down with it, few observers could have guessed that a Chinese company would infiltrate the ranks of Merrill Lynch's five leading optical systems...

Emerging from the bubble.(Corporate Profile)(CommScope)
January 1, 2004... CommScope is the world's largest manufacturer of broadband coaxial cable for Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) applications and a leading supplier of high-performance fiber optic and twisted pair cables for LAN, wireless and other communications...

Look to these vendors for signs of recovery.(including Huawei, Avanex and Bookham Technology)(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... While most observers and industry participants believe the optical communications market has hit bottom, not all agree how long a full recovery will take. The following companies (in no particular order) should provide the strongest indications...

Key carriers' mantra: more services, less cost.(Industry Overview)
January 1, 2004... As wireless substitution threatens local and long-distance fixed-line services worldwide and cable operators and enterprises test the readiness of voice over IP, carriers in 2003 took to bundling local, long-distance, and broadband services to...

Directory of optical engineering product vendors.(Components)
January 1, 2004... SINGLEMODE FIBER Alcatel 828-459-9787; www.alcatel.com Belden Electronics Div 765-983-5200; www.belden.com BOC 908-464-8100; www.boc.com/of CommScope 828-459-5000; www.commscope.com Corning Inc ...

KiloLambda Technologies Ltd.: emerging from the bubble.(Corporate Profile)
January 1, 2004... KiloLambda was founded in February 2001 with a mission to become a leading provider of optical components and subsystems to vendors of telecommunication, medical and industrial systems, delivering innovative and unique solutions for their next...

Technology provides customer value.(Corporate Profile)(Optical Cable Corp.)
January 1, 2004... Optical Cable Corporation was founded in 1983. The founders were responsible for performing the government-funded fiber optic cable development work at ITT Electro-Optical Products Division (EOPD) during the late 1970s and early 1980s. During...