Lightwave articles from January 2008

Lightwave archives from January 2008

Cable MSOs' interest in FTTH deepens.(INDUSTRY)
January 1, 2008... An August 17, 2006, article in The Wall Street Journal entitled "Cable Industry May Need to Spend Heavily on Upgrades" touched off a firestorm of debate within the cable multiple-systems operator (MSO) market. The article cited a Cable Labs...

What to do when PON's bandwidth isn't enough.(GRAPHIC)(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... Many service providers who have chosen PON for their FTTH deployments are getting more and more requests to deliver higher bandwidth than their network can support. While the standardization bodies are exploring options to solve this problem,...

Edge-to-core optical switching in the metro network.(TECHNOLOGY: Advances in research development, engineering, and standards)
January 1, 2008... With the rapid adoption of reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) by wireline carriers, optical switching is being widely deployed across metro core, regional, and long-haul networks. These carriers have begun to realize such...

EMCORE Corp. (www.emcore.com) and Intel Corp. (www.intel.com) have announced a definitive agreement for EMCORE to acquire the telecom-related portion of Intel's Optical Platform Division for $85 million; this includes intellectual property, assets, and technology relating to tunable lasers, tunable transponders, 300-pin transponders, and integrable tunable laser assemblies.(HOTPICK)
January 1, 2008... EMCORE Corp. (www.emcore.com) and Intel Corp. (www.intel.com) have announced a definitive agreement for EMCORE to acquire the telecom-related portion of Intel's Optical Platform Division for $85 million; this includes intellectual property,...

Level 3 Communications' (www.level3.com) Content Markets Group has been selected by Crackle Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment Co., to support that company's video delivery service.(north america)
January 1, 2008... Level 3 Communications' (www.level3.com) Content Markets Group has been selected by Crackle Inc., a Sony Pictures Entertainment Co., to support that company's video delivery service. Under the terms of the multiyear agreement, Level 3 will...

Nortel has announced two new customers for its PBT-based equipment: Switzerland's groupe-e and U.S.-based Southern Light.(north america)
January 1, 2008... Nortel has announced two new customers for its PBT-based equipment: Switzerland's groupe-e and U.S.-based Southern Light. In Switzerland, the groupe-e company provides electricity to customers as well as bandwidth-intensive telecom services,...

Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), has selected Foundry Networks' (www.foundrynet.com) NetIron MLX Series multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) metro routers and the FastIron Family of Layer 2/3 switches for its extensive network redesign.(north america)
January 1, 2008... Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), has selected Foundry Networks' (www. foundrynet.com) NetIron MLX Series multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) metro routers and the FastIron Family of Layer...

ADVA Optical Networking (www.advaoptical.com) says that MBO Video has deployed the system vendor's Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000RE to provide it with a highly scalable and flexible DWDM architecture.(north america)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... ADVA Optical Networking (www.advaoptical.com) says that MBO Video has deployed the system vendor's Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000RE to provide it with a highly scalable and flexible DWDM architecture. MBO Video is a privately held company...

Infinera (www.infinera.com) has announced that its DTN reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer has completed the Telcordia Technologies (www.telcordia.com) Operations Systems Modifications for the Integration of Network Elements Services process for Telcordia TIRKS and Telcordia NMA Operation Systems within service provider infrastructures that employ these operations systems.(north america)
January 1, 2008... Infinera (www.infinera.com) has announced that its DTN reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer has completed the Telcordia Technologies (www. telcordia.com) Operations Systems Modifications for the Integration of Network Elements Services...

Independent communications holding company SureWest Communications (www.surewest.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Everest Broadband Inc. (www.everestkc.com), a portfolio company of Seaport Capital, for $173 million in cash.(north america)
January 1, 2008... Independent communications holding company SureWest Communications (www.surewest.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Everest Broadband Inc. (www.everestkc.com), a portfolio company of Seaport Capital, for $173 million in cash....

To stay ahead of demand for online video, photos, music, and Internet Protocol (IP)-based business applications, AT&T Inc. (www.att.com) says it has lit the nation's first coast-to coast network connections over new-generation IP/MPLS technology.(update)
January 1, 2008... To stay ahead of demand for online video, photos, music, and Internet Protocol (IP)-based business applications, AT&T Inc. (www.att. com) says it has lit the nation's first coast-to-coast network connections over new-generation IP/MPLS...

AXTEL S.A.B. de C.V., a fixed-line integrated telecommunications company, and Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), have signed an agreement through which CFE will lease its fiber-optic network to AXTEL, thus increasing AXTEL's integrated services capabilities.(latin america)
January 1, 2008... AXTEL S.A.B. de C.V., a fixed-line integrated telecommunications company, and Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), have signed an agreement through which CFE will lease its fiber-optic network to AXTEL, thus increasing AXTEL's...

SEACOM Ltd. and its supplier, Tyco Telecommunications (www.tycotele com.com), say they have begun construction of the 13,700-km SEA Cable System connecting the South and East Africa countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, and Tanzania with India and Egypt.(emea)
January 1, 2008... SEACOM Ltd. and its supplier, Tyco Telecommunications (www.tycotele com.com), say they have begun construction of the 13,700-km SEA Cable System connecting the South and East Africa countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, and...

Alcatel-Lucent (www.alcatel-lucent.com) has announced the signing of a turnkey contract for a 4,900-km submarine cable network with The East Africa Marine System Ltd.(emea)
January 1, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent (www.alcatel-lucent.com) has announced the signing of a turnkey contract for a 4,900-km submarine cable network with The East Africa Marine System Ltd. (TEAMS Ltd.) consortium--including the Government of Kenya and Etisalat...

IBM (www.ibm.com) and Norwegian energy and telecom provider Lyse (www.lyse. no) are extending their services agreement for the optical provision of triple-play and mobile services to families in Norway and Denmark.(emea)
January 1, 2008... IBM (www.ibm.com) and Norwegian energy and telecom provider Lyse (www.lyse. no) are extending their services agreement for the optical provision of triple-play and mobile services to families in Norway and Denmark. The value of the new contract...

XO Communications.(emea)
January 1, 2008... XO Communications (www.xo.com) says it plans to expand the capacity of its nationwide IP/MPLS network using Cisco CRS-1 routers. XO says the expansion will more than double current capacity, and with an eye toward a four-fold increase, while...

Ericsson.(emea)
January 1, 2008... Ericsson (www.ericsson.com) has signed turnkey contracts as the total solution provider and prime integrator of metro networks to support the launch of seven digital cities across Greece. Per the agreements, Ericsson will supply and install...

Reggefiber (www.reggefiber.nl), a major FTTH broadband operator in the Netherlands, is rolling out an optical fiber network to three cities in the Netherlands based on the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture and using Cisco Ethernet FTTH (E-FTTH) technology.(emea)
January 1, 2008... Reggefiber (www.reggefiber.nl), a major FTTH broadband operator in the Netherlands, is rolling out an optical fiber network to three cities in the Netherlands based on the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture...

Bahrain Bay, the $2.5-billion landmark waterfront community located in the heart of Manama, Bahrain, will become the region's most connected urban community, thanks to its selection of Alloptic Inc.'s (www.alloptic.com) GEPON next-generation access network system.(emea)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Bahrain Bay, the $2.5-billion landmark waterfront community located in the heart of Manama, Bahrain, will become the region's most connected urban community, thanks to its selection of Alloptic Inc.'s (www.alloptic.com) GEPON next-generation...

Foundry Networks has announced that the world's largest public Internet Exchange Point (IXP), the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), has selected the NetIron MLX-32 metro routers for its powerful switching capabilities to keep up with the organization's documented 100% year-over-year IP traffic growth.(update)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Foundry Networks has announced that the world's largest public Internet Exchange Point (IXP), the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), has selected the NetIron MLX-32 metro routers for its powerful switching capabilities to keep up with the...

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (www. huawei.com) and Global Marine Systems (www.globalmarinesystems.com) have committed to launching Huawei Submarine Networks Ltd.(asia/pacific)
January 1, 2008... Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (www. huawei.com) and Global Marine Systems (www.globalmarinesystems.com) have committed to launching Huawei Submarine Networks Ltd. The companies expect to launch the entity in early 2008. Huawei Submarine is the...

Alcatel-Lucent has secured a contract from Total E & P Indonesie, the Indonesian subsidiary of Paris-based Total Group, to deploy microwave radio transmission equipment, optical networking equipment, and a network management system to expand and enhance the energy company's mission-critical communications network.(asia/pacific)
January 1, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent has secured a contract from Total E & P Indonesie, the Indonesian subsidiary of Paris-based Total Group, to deploy microwave radio transmission equipment, optical networking equipment, and a network management system to expand...

Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence (NICTA) has signed a commercial license agreement with Optium Corp. (www.optium.com) covering optical signal-to-noise ratio monitoring technology.(asia/pacific)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence (NICTA) has signed a commercial license agreement with Optium Corp. (www.optium.com) covering optical signal-to-noise ratio monitoring technology....

Alcatel-Lucent and Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (www.hkbn.net; HKBN), a wholly owned subsidiary of City Telecom (HK) Limited, have announced the deployment of what they claim is the first GPON-based network in Hong Kong.(asia/pacific)
January 1, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent and Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (www.hkbn.net; HKBN), a wholly owned subsidiary of City Telecom (HK) Limited, have announced the deployment of what they claim is the first GPON-based network in Hong Kong. Alcatel-Lucent...

Alphion Corp. (www.alphion.com), developer of communication systems, subsystems, and integrated photonic components based on its proprietary QLight technology, has announced an alliance with ITI Limited, India for the manufacture and distribution of its family of GPON products.(asia/pacific)
January 1, 2008... Alphion Corp. (www.alphion.com), developer of communication systems, subsystems, and integrated photonic components based on its proprietary QLight technology, has announced an alliance with ITI Limited, India for the manufacture and...

Four hot topics for 2008.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... OFC/NFOEC, the optical communications industry's most important event, moves this year from March to February 24-28. That means that this year's Executive Forum, co-presented by the Optical Society of America and Lightwave and co-located with...

Operators tackle mobile backhaul with optical Ethernet.(TECH TRENDS)
January 1, 2008... This summer's launch of the iPhone represents both the opportunity and the challenge facing today's wireless operators. Consumer devices now support Web browsing, music downloading, video messaging, and mobile TV, creating a bandwidth...

Drop cable air-assist system.(INSTALLATION)(Arnco Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The AT 410 drop cable air-assist system is designed to quickly and efficiently install flat and round optical fiber and copper drop cables for residential and commercial FTTH and broadband applications. The drop air-assist system eliminates the...

Connection components for MDU installations.(INSTALLATION)(OFS Optics)(multiple-dwelling-unit)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... V-Linx Spool & Play Solution for fiber-to-the-multiple-dwelling-unit (MDU) deployments has been developed as a part of the Access ADVANTAGE FTTH System. The V-Linx line of components can speed and simplify fiber installation with a...

Fiber-optic splice tray.(INSTALLATION)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The COYOTE splice tray with LITE-GRIP technology enables installers to organize, secure, and protect bare fiber and splices, minimizing the potential for damage and reducing labor time and cost. The tray's design...

OSP cabinet with upgradeability.(INSTALLATION)(Clearfield Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... An 864-port crossconnect OSP cabinet, part of the FieldSmart Fiber Scalability Platform, allows technicians to deploy fibers in increments of 12 in a field-defined feeder/distribution ratio, enabling the user to incrementally add fibers as...

24-count bundles for blown fiber system.(INSTALLATION)(Sumitomo Electric Lightwave)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The FutureFLEX Air-blown Fiber (ABF) infrastructure product line now includes 24-fiber bundles, increasing capacity in each pathway by 33% for enterprise networks. The new fiber bundle also reduces labor time by eliminating an extra step in the...

Fiber-optic management tool.(INSTALLATION)
January 1, 2008... Fiber Manager is designed to allow technicians to quickly and intuitively create, connect, and manage fiber-optic systems within a geographic information system (GIS). The product comes with an integrated toolset that provides users with...

OTDR for FTTX and access networks.(TEST EQUIPMENT)(JDSU)(optical time-domain reflectometer)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The MTS/T-BERD 6000 LITE is a highly integrated, nonmodular, compact optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) suited for the construction, fault location, and troubleshooting/maintenance of FTTX and access networks, exceeding Telcordia...

Compact, handheld test set.(TEST EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2008... The SunSet MTT-30Z Fibre Channel Module is reportedly the first handheld system to support 1-, 2-, and 4-Gbit Fibre Channel testing with full port login of switch fabric. The MTT-30Z offers a full suite of tests making it suitable for...

SONET/SDH/OTN jitter compliance system.(TEST EQUIPMENT)(SyntheSys Research Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The BERTScope digital communications receiver with jitter analysis (DCRj) is the first 10-Gbit/sec telecom jitter system to test device compliance and show the full 80MHz spectrum to precisely see and troubleshoot device behavior. The DCRj is a...

Integrated switch/multimeter platform.(TEST EQUIPMENT)(Keithley Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The Series 3700 system switch/ multimeter and plug-in card family, a next-generation platform of switching and integrated digital multimeter (DMM) test products, offers high-quality, instrument-grade switching for a variety of applications,...

Optical vector analyzer.(TEST EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2008... The Optical Vector Analyzer (OVA) ELp characterizes the polarization properties of fiber-optic components for high-speed optical networks. The OVA ELp provides accuracy and resolution in a single sweep of a tunable laser and offers a dynamic...

Optical node receiver.(SUBSYSTEMS)(Olson Technology Inc's OTPN-MDN-870 Advanced CATV Mini-Node)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The Model OTPN-MDN-870 Advanced CATV Mini-Node has a wide optical input range from -8 to +4.5 dBm and a high RF output (+38 dBm per channel). The link accommodates up to 110 cable TV channels. The compact optical node receiver can be ordered to...

48-channel arrayed waveguide grating.(SUBSYSTEMS)
January 1, 2008... A 48-channel arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) covers all channels in the C-band with 100-GHz spacing, so it can serve as a universal AWG. This product allows users to consolidate systems that traditionally use different channel plans, according...

Modulator platform for tunable transponders.(SUBSYSTEMS)
January 1, 2008... Tunable transponder technology is moving from conventional 4-inch to smaller 3-inch MSA designs with higher integration density, which reduces space allocation and optical system cost. The newest lithium niobate (LiNbO3) XS-modulator platform...

Three-port wavelength-selective switch.(SUBSYSTEMS)(MicroWSS 2x1 switch)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The recently introduced MicroWSS 2x1 switch, based on a proprietary liquid-crystal optical processor, offers cost and performance advantages for two-degree ROADM nodes that are not supported with current wavelength-selective switch (WSS)...

Optical network chassis.(SUBSYSTEMS)
January 1, 2008... The 650 Series MicroTCA chassis is engineered for economical connectivity. An innovative power supply configuration reduces the cost of the chassis to half that of comparable products. The chassis, offered in a 2-U, 19-inch rack mount...

Compact optical line terminal.(SYSTEMS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The compact optical line terminal (COLT) is the latest addition to the Trident7 product line. The Trident7 COLT is reportedly the industry's only temperature-hardened OLT requiring only 2 RU of space, allowing network operators to deploy the...

Protocol-independent reconfigurable networks save opex and capex.(Applications: Innovative component, sybsystem, system, and network design examples and alternatives)
January 1, 2008... Metro-area optical networks are far more dynamic today than they were a decade ago. Although much has been written about the demise of SONET/SDH and the dominance of Ethernet, it appears they, along with several other protocols, will be around...

Zayo demos the modern way to create a service provider.(CASE BY CASE)
January 1, 2008... The first announcement appeared last May, when PPL revealed it would sell its optical-network based PPL Telecom subsidiary to a company called Communications Infrastructure Investments (CII). Then CII started making announcements of its own: in...

Optical market looks to build on 2007 momentum.(ANALYST CORNER)
January 1, 2008... Market researchers suggest that when the final numbers are counted, 2007 will be the best year for optical communications hardware since 2001. Most of these analysts limit the hardware market to SONET/SDH, WDM in all its forms, switches, and...

StrataLight Communications Inc.(people)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... StrataLight Communications Inc. has appointed Jin Hong, PhD, as vice president, product line management, and Pat Day as vice president, system development. Hong brings 15 years of experience in R&D, product line management, sales, and marketing...

Harold Leviton, CEO and chairman of Leviton Manufacturing Co., passed away in September, leaving two of his sons-in-law to lead the company as it progresses through its second hundred years in operation.(people)
January 1, 2008... Harold Leviton, CEO and chairman of Leviton Manufacturing Co., passed away in September, leaving two of his sons-in-law to lead the company as it progresses through its second hundred years in operation. Donald J. Hendler, who in 2005 was named...

Karen Roscher has joined Conexant Systems as senior vice president and chief financial officer. She replaces J. Scott Blouin, who will be leaving Conexant to pursue other opportunities.(people)
January 1, 2008... Karen Roscher has joined Conexant Systems as senior vice president and chief financial officer. She replaces J. Scott Blouin, who will be leaving Conexant to pursue other opportunities. Roscher spent 26 years in a variety of financial...

Walt Magnussen, PhD, an industry expert in the deployment of college and university voice services, has joined Cedar Point Communications' advisory board.(people)
January 1, 2008... Walt Magnussen, PhD, an industry expert in the deployment of college and university voice services, has joined Cedar Point Communications' advisory board. Magnussen currently holds multiple high-profile roles within the university...

IntexyS Photonics SA.(people)
January 1, 2008... IntexyS Photonics SA, a provider of integrated optical modules for telecom, datacom, defense, and avionics, has announced Kevin Taylor as chief financial officer and Jiashu Chen as vice president of engineering with both appointments effective...

ADVA Optical Networking.(people)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Christian Unterberger has been appointed to the position of chief sales officer (CSO) at ADVA Optical Networking. As CSO, he will enhance the company's global sales strategy, including direct, reseller, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM)...

JDSU.(people)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... JDSU has appointed Keith Lambert to the role of senior vice president of Optical Communications Operations at JDSU. Reporting to David Gudmundson, president of Optical Communications, Lambert will focus on driving efforts in the areas of lean...

Clarification.(people)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2008... In Lightwave's December Technology feature "The Road to SFP+: Examining Module and System Architectures," the labels in Figure 1c were incorrect. The correct Figure 1c is shown here. Lightwave regrets the error. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

10GbE market growing fast.(MARKET WATCH)
January 1, 2008... A recent report from market research firm Infonetics Research (www.in fonetics.com) says the 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) market is big and growing fast, with the number of ports shipping on enterprise and service provider equipment expected to...

FTTH shipments set record in 3Q07.(MARKET WATCH)
January 1, 2008... According to Dittberner's (www.dittberner.com) "Broadband Shipment Analysis," 3Q07 FTTH shipments increased 7% quarter-over-quarter on top of a strong 25% growth in 2Q07. Port shipments were up 38% year-over-year. Through the third quarter,...

Carrier Ethernet boosts growth in router/switch market.(MARKET WATCH)
January 1, 2008... In the "Synergy Q3 2007 Router/ Switch Worldwide Market Share Report," market research firms Synergy Research Group (www. srgresearch.com) and Current Analysis (www.currentanalysis. com) note strong growth across both the Carrier Ethernet and...