Lightwave articles from October 2004

Lightwave archives from October 2004

Reference-design kits emerge for optical transceivers.(Focus on)
October 1, 2004... Reference designs provided by IC vendors serve as a keystone of product development in the electronics world. Thus to many, it came as no surprise when IC vendors began to offer reference-design kits for optical transceivers and transceiver...

Contract manufacturers make strides in active components.(Technology)
October 1, 2004... The sourcing and manufacture of the transmitter and receiver optical subassemblies (TOSAs and ROSAs) are the most costly and precisely manufactured parts of a transceiver. Contract opto-electronic-component manufacturers with materials...

When it comes to broadcast networks, is SONET/SDH ready for prime time?(Applications)
October 1, 2004... Broadcasters use fiber-based networks to transport live and taped programming to and from remote locations, central offices, and affiliates today more than ever. This is not an isolated development; it affects how broadcasters deliver...

APA Optics (Minneapolis) officially changed the company's name to APA Enterprises.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... APA Optics (Minneapolis) officially changed the company's name to APA Enterprises. The company will continue to report its future financial and other activities in its current segments, APA Cable & Networks (APACN) and its Optronics Division...

C-COR (State College, PA) agreed to acquire the business of Optinel Systems (Elkridge, MD), a privately held provider to the cable industry of optical Ethernet transport equipment for network core to the customer premises applications.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... C-COR (State College, PA) agreed to acquire the business of Optinel Systems (Elkridge, MD), a privately held provider to the cable industry of optical Ethernet transport equipment for network core to the customer premises applications. The...

Ciena (Linthicum, MD) and Telcordia Technologies (Piscataway, NJ) are jointly developing and delivering new offerings designed to enable ILECs to more efficiently introduce and man age high-speed carrier class Ethernet services over their existing network infrastructures.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ciena (Linthicum, MD) and Telcordia Technologies (Piscataway, NJ) are jointly developing and delivering new offerings designed to enable ILECs to more efficiently introduce and man age high-speed carrier class Ethernet services over their...

Leviton Manufacturing (Bothell, WA) has acquired Fiber Management Solutions (FMS--Holbrook, NY).(Leviton Manufacturing Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Leviten Manufacturing (Bothell, WA) has acquired Fiber Management Solutions (FMS--Holbrook, NY). FMS is new a Leviton company assigned to support the fiber optics program, including enterprise networks, access networks, and data centers, within...

Level(3) Communications.(contract with the universities)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Level(3) Communications (Broomfield, CO) (3)Link Intercity Dark Fiber and (3)Link Metro Dark Fiber services in the Chicago and Detroit areas are being provided to Michigan's three largest public universities--Michigan State University, the...

Physical & Link Layer Working Group (PLL WG).(Hotpick)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Physical & Link Layer Working Group (PLL WG) of the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) has initiated technical work on electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) and an extension to the OIF Serdes Framer Interface (SFI-5) Implementation...

Avanex (Fremont, CA), Eudyna Devices (Yokohama), Mitsubishi Electric (Tokyo), Oki Electric Industry (Tokyo), Opnext (Eatontown, NJ), Sumitomo Electric Industries (Osaka), and TriQuint Semiconductor (Hillsboro, OR) developed new common specifications for long-reach optical devices based on a 10-Gbit/sec miniature-device multisource agreement (XMD-MSA).(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Avanex (Fremont, CA), Eudyna Devices (Yokohama), Mitsubishi Electric (Tokyo), Oki Electric Industry (Tokyo), Opnext (Eatontown, NJ), Sumitomo Electric Industries (Osaka), and TriQuint Semiconductor (Hillsboro, OR) developed new common...

Lucent Technologies.(contract with United States. Department of the Army)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Lucent Technologies (Murray Hill, NJ) won a one-year firm fixed-price $4.6-million contract with the U.S. Department of the Army to provide optical-networking systems and professional services to upgrade military communications systems at Fort...

Spirent Communications (Rockville, MD) has selected TeraXion's tunable dispersion devices for use in its AE 7200 optical-fiber emulator.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Spirent Communications (Rockville, MD) has selected TeraXion's tunable dispersion devices for use in its AE 7200 optical-fiber emulator. The AE 7200 was designed as a laboratory computer-controlled optical physical layer impairment emulator for...

Lightconnect.(qualification tests of dynamic channel equalizer)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Lightconnect (Newark, CA), supplier of dynamic components for optical networks, announced that its MEMS-based DCE50 (dynamic channel equalizer 50 GHz) has been qualified to industry standards. The qualification tests were based on input from...

Marconi.(opening of new R&D center)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Marconi (Coventry, UK) opened a new R&D facility near Boston that will focus development on a new platform for a family of products to address the IP services market. The new center complements ongoing IP engineering work at existing Marconi...

Cogent Communications Group.(North America)(acquisition of Unlimited Fiber Optic Communications)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Cogent Communications Group (Washington DC), a multinational optical Internet service provider (ISP), acquired a majority of the assets of Unlimited Fiber Optics (UFO), an ISP based out of San Francisco. Included in the assets are UFO's...

Members of the Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) and its sister association, the Fibre Channel Industry Association-Japan (FCIA-J), have ratified the extension of the Fibre Channel (FC) roadmap to extend 8-Gbit/sec FC from an "inside the box" storage device interconnect into switched SAN fabrics.(Short Area Network)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Members of the Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) and its sister association, the Fibre Channel Industry Association-Japan (FCIA-J), have ratified the extension of the Fibre Channel (FC) roadmap to extend 8-Gbit/sec FC from an "inside...

Worldspan.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Travel technology provider Worldspan (Atlanta) awarded AT&T a three-year, $30-million networking contract and named AT&T its provider of choice for North America. AT&T will deploy a secure high-speed network-based IP virtual private network...

Prima Luci.(North America)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Prima Luci (White Plains, NY), an optical-component company that claims it has "invented the 'electronic transistor' for the photonic industry," raised $2 million from a private investment group. Last February, the company introduced an...

Fujitsu Network Communications.(contract with Intel Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Fujitsu Network Communications (Richardson, TX) selected Intel's IXF30009 optical transport processor for its Flash-wave DWDM products. The IXF30009 provides the full range of G.709-compliant Optical Transport Network management features. Terms...

Northlight Optronics (Jarfalla, Sweden) signed a three-year volume supply agreement with Fabrinet (San Francisco), an engineering and electromechanical manufacturing services company.(Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Northlight Optronics (Jarfalla, Sweden) signed a three-year volume supply agreement with Fabrinet (San Francisco), an engineering and electromechanical manufacturing services company. Fabrinet will provide the module packaging and manufacture...

Fibernet Group.(contracts with Fujitsu Services)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Fibernet Group (Basingstoke, UK), a custom network service provider, has received what it calls "a substantial contract" from Fujitsu Services. The dedicated infrastructure will enable Fujitsu Services to provide managed services to...

Intense.(Intense Photonics Ltd. completed its funding round)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Intense (Glasgow, Scotland), developer and manufacturer of optical components and modules, completed a further 5-million [pounds sterling] (approximately $9.2-million) funding round. All the company's previous financial investors--3i, ACT...

Transmode Systems (Stockholm) and ARCHE, a French systems integrator, will supply the former's System 1100 WDM platform to Tiscali France (Paris) to support the rollout of unbundled DSL services in several major urban areas across the country.(Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Transmode Systems (Stockholm) and ARCHE, a French systems integrator, will supply the former's System 1100 WDM platform to Tiscali France (Paris) to support the rollout of unbundled DSL services in several major urban areas across the country....

Ibsen Photonics.(Europe)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Ibsen Photonics (Copenhagen), supplier of holographic phase masks, transmission diffraction gratings, and OEM spectrometer modules based on diffraction gratings, received U.S. Patent #6,762,880, titled "Grating Structures and Methods of Making...

OpTun.(contract with Germany Ministry of Research & Education)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... OpTun (Munich, Germany), manufacturer of planar-lightwave-circuit-based components and modules, received a $1-million grant from the German Ministry of Research & Education to develop highly integrated devices in silicon oxynitride (SiON) for...

Corning.(contract with Biopolis)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The LANscape offering for premises networks from Corning (Corning, NY)--including Corning InfiniCor SX+ multimode optical fiber, multipurpose indoor/ outdoor cable, UniCam MT-RJ connectors, universal patch panels, and jumpers--has been deployed...

The Yuanshen Broadcasting Network, located in the northern city of Harbin, China, will transform its network with E- and M-series routing platforms from Juniper Networks (Sunnyvale, CA).(Asia)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Yuanshen Broadcasting Network, located in the northern city of Harbin, China, will transform its network with E- and M-series routing platforms from Juniper Networks (Sunnyvale, CA). The broadcaster will use the new platforms to leverage...

Nano-optic isolators enter the mainstream.(update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Optical isolators, one of the more expensive individual components of the laser modules used in the transceiver or transponders, have seen cost reductions of greater than 25% year-over-year in the last few years. Yet, transceiver and...

When standards aren't really standard.(fiber optic connectors)(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... I have to admit that when I first came to Lightwave, I believed most telecommunications standards were cooked up by a bunch of academics meeting in obscure "working groups" in Geneva, home of the International Telecommunication Union. One of...

Jitter testing gives ITU-T the shakes.(Focus on)(International Telecommunication Union)
October 1, 2004... A certain amount of noise or jitter is inherent in any digital transmission system, but such impairments become increasingly problematic at higher bit rates. At 10 Gbits/sec, every piece of equipment in the network must be accurately measured,...

MSPP defies definition.(Tech Trends)(multiservice provisioning platform)
October 1, 2004... The term "multiservice provisioning platform" (MSPP) has always been something of a marketing tool, a catch-all to capture a new breed of box that is still evolving. Is it a next-generation SONET device with data capabilities? Is it a WDM...

ITU-T moves from C- and L-bands into S-band.(Standards Watch)(International Telecommunication Union)
October 1, 2004... A small amount of chromatic dispersion is effective in reducing the growth of nonlinear effects such as four-wave mixing and cross-phase modulation. In 1996, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) codified the concept of nonzero...

24-fiber ribbon fanout system.(Components)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Using Concours optical-circuit technology, 24-fiber fanout assemblies transition two multifiber ribbons into individual 900-[mu]m buffered fibers for termination to any single-fiber or duplex connector type. The transition is protected with a...

4G Fibre Channel, GbE SFP chipset.(Components)(Gigabit Ethernet)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... For next-generation multirate Fibre Channel (FC) and Gigabit Ethernet modules, the SFP chipset includes the VSC7977 bandwidth-selectable transimpedance amplifier (pictured) and VSC7964 monolithic laser driver and post-amplifier. Available with...

Silicon startup develops MetroBox reference design.(Product Profile)(Sandburst Corp., packet switching chipset)
October 1, 2004... Developers ofmerchant silicon for switching and routing applications face the daunting challenge of trying to compete with proprietary ASICs such as those used in Cisco Systems' Catalyst line of intelligent switches. For many of Cisco's...

90-sec field termination kit.(Installation)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Quick Assembly connectors and tool kit shorten the field termination process for ST or SC multimode connectors. Within 90 sec, the connector is connected to the fiber, epoxy is cured, and fiber endfaces are polished. The splice-less process...

Sealed aluminum corrosion-resistant cabinets.(Installation)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The LightGuard CE1000 (one-bay), CE2000 (two-bay), and CE3000 (three-bay) ECOE environmental sealed cabinets protect electronic equipment from corrosion, vandalism, and the effects of weather and fire. Since they are designed with aluminum, the...

Multiconfiguration micro-grinding attachment.(Design & Manufacturing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The 70,000-rpm multiconfiguration deterministic micro-grinding attachment is primarily used for high-precision diamond grinding of small concave and convex aspheric optical-mold inserts. The multiple configurations allow grinding in different...

APC-connector polishing, cleaning, inspection automation cell.(Design & Manufacturing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... For high-volume batch processing of APC connectors, the Gemini-Cx integrated provides excellent geometry and surface finish. It is easily scalable to multiple sites without the need for increased staffing and training. With high-quality...

FTTP broadband access platform.(Systems & Subsystems)(Fiber To The Premises)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Designed for fiber to the premises access at Gigabit Ethernet rates, the BBS 1000 broadband access platform includes the OLT 100 optical line termination system for deployment at the central office, providing a direct optical interface to the...

Compact, scalable 2.5-Gbit/sec multiplexer.(Systems & Subsystems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Fomux C100 compact fiber-optic multiplexer utilizing CWDM supports up to eight applications on a single fiber pair, with a maximum throughput of 2.5 Gbits/sec per channel. Protocol transparency provides multiplexing of all types of...

10G SONET/SDH, G.709 OTN jitter analysis.(Test Equipment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... For measuring 10-Gbit/sec SONET/SDH and G.709 OTN jitter, hardware enhancements to the OmniBER OTN communications performance analyzer ensure a receiver-only fixed accuracy error of Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, www.agilent.com ...

160-psec PMD scanning module.(Test Equipment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Using the interferometric method as recommended by TIA FOTP-124, the CMA 5400 PMD 160 module, an addition to the CMA 5000 multilayer test platform, scans a range up to 160 psec, doubling the maximum polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) value...

Electrical stressed eye testing capability.(Test Equipment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... For emerging standards like the OIF Common Electrical I/O (CEI) project, the electrical stressed eye testing capability is packaged in the OST optical-standards-tester platform to enable a variety of automated tests, including jitter, filter,...

With calculated EMB, SR 1OG is guaranteed.(Applications: innovative compoenent, subsystem, system, and network design examples and alternatives)(effective modal bandwidth, short-reach systems)
October 1, 2004... More than ever, higher bandwidth and faster throughput are critical to business operations. IT managers have already adopted 10-Gbit/ sec-capable networks for LAN backbone bandwidth aggregation and data-center applications. It is estimated that...

Poland launches 'pionier' optical scientific network.(Case by Case)
October 1, 2004... Once restricted by the bandwidth limitations of 622-Mbit/sec ATM leased-line connections, Polish researchers today rely on the largest scientific network ever deployed by a European country: PIONIER, the Polish Optical Internet. When the final...

FIS training specialist.(Ask Bruno)(Fabrication Inspection System)(Brief Article)(Column)
October 1, 2004... Q When troubleshooting fiber optic systems, I spend a lot of time inspecting connector endfaces. What can you suggest to Speed things along? A For one thing, use a microscope with sufficient magnification. Although 100X may be OK for...

Network processors strain to reach full speed.(Industry: opportunities, market intelligence, and forecasts to improve your bottom line)
October 1, 2004... Like many technologies introduced during the bubble years, network processors (NPUs) are perfect for applications that haven't materialized as quickly as originally envisioned. As a result, the number of NPU suppliers has shrunk significantly...

Labor, programming costs still hurt FTTP's business case.(Analyst Corner)(fiber to the premises)
October 1, 2004... Last year's fiber to the premises (FTTP) RFP issued jointly by Verizon Communications, SBC Communications, and BellSouth brought renewed hope for fiber to the home (FTTH) vendors, but the economics of providing optical access services have not...

Phyworks names manufacturing veep.(people)(Tim Esparon, Mike McTighe, Paul Mount appointed)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Fabless semiconductor maker Phyworks has appointed Tim Esparon vice president of manufacturing operations, responsible for enhancing Phyworks' worldwide supplier relationships at strategic and tactical levels as well as developing...

Ortronics.(People)(Mark Panico appointed)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Mark Panico, former general manager of Nalco's Global Industrial & Institutional Services Division, is named president of Ortronics, maker of high-capacity structured cabling systems. Panico's resume includes executive positions at Honeywell...

Vice-chair of the TIA TR-42.7 copper cabling subcommittee, chair of the TIA TR-42.7.1 connecting hardware working group, and TIA TR-42-appointed liaison to IEEE 802.3, Valerie Rybinski rejoins network cabling systems and components maker Siemon as global sales engineer.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Vice-chair of the TIA TR-42.7 copper cabling subcommittee, chair of the TIA TR-42.7.1 connecting hardware working group, and TIA TR-42-appointed liaison to IEEE 802.3, Valerie Rybinski rejoins network cabling systems and components maker Siemon...

Cogent Communications.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Former AT&T Network Engineering & Operations senior vice president Reed Harrison is the new president and chief operating officer of tier one optical Internet service provider Cogent Communications. Harrison will handle Cogent's day-to-day...

Fusion UV.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Jim Elliott is promoted to operations vice president at Fusion UV, supplier of ultraviolet curing systems and UV-based process solutions. Elliott has more than 17 years' experience in both high- and low-volume manufacturing environments,...

Tropic Networks.(People)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... David L. Grimes is the new president of metro regional DWDM systems manufacturer Tropic Networks Grimes, who has more than 30 years' experience in the telecommunications industry, was promoted from senior vice president of marketing and sales....

Calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... October 4-6 FTTH 2004 Conference & Expo. In Orlando, FL, by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council. Tel: 800-823-8300, Website: www.ftthcouncil.org. 5-6 Hands-On Fiber Optic Training. In Hartford, CT, by Fiber Instrument Sales. Also, 20-21 in Los...

Design and test.(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... JDS UNIPHASE 1768 Automation Parkway, San Jose, CA 95131 PH: 408 546-5000, FX: 408 546-4300, WEB: www.jdsuniphase.com Designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes a range of products for the fiber-optic communications market. Products...

Manufacturer.(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... KYOSEMI-USA, LLC 368 South Abbott Avenue, Milpitas CA 95035 PH: 408-946-8836, FX: 408-946-8839, EMAIL: info@kyosemi-usa.com, WEB: http://www.kyosemi-usa.com Kyosemi Corporation manufactures standard and custom InGaAs / GaAs Photo-Detector,...

Distributor.(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... SPEER FIBER OPTICS, INC. 390 Amwell Road, Suite 310, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 PH: 908 359 1173, FAX: 908 359 8305, EMAIL: sales@speerfiberoptics.com, WEB: www.speerfiberoptics.com Distributor of CLETOP connector cleaning tools, Portable and...

Component/subsystems.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... NEWPORT CORPORATION 1791 Deere Avenue, CA Irvine 92804 PH: 800-222-6440, FX: 949-253-1800, EMAIL sales@newport.com, WEB: http://www.newport.com Newport Corporation offers complete solutions for high precision test, measurement, and...

Service-provider capex budgets improving.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Worldwide service-provider capital-expenditure (capex) budgets totaled $196 billion in 2003, down about 4% from 2002. However, high-tech market researcher In-Stat/MDR (Scottsdale, AZ) expects worldwide service-provider capex to begin turning...

Ethernet equipment dominates metro market.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Worldwide metro Ethernet equipment revenue topped $3 billion last year and is forecast to grow 157% to $7.7 billion by 2007, contends a new report from Infonetics Research (San Jose, CA). Metro Ethernet ports are on the rise as well, increasing...

Up to 20% annual growth seen for optical networking.(Market Watch)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The optical-networking (ON) market will exhibit double-digit growth from 2004 to 2006, reveals a new study from KMI Research (Providence). Through 2009, the ON market, which includes SONET/ SDH, DWDM, digital-crossconnect, and...