Bookham Acquires Ignis Optics

Bookham Technology agreed to acquire Ignis Optics, a provider of small form-factor pluggable (SFP and XFP) single-mode optical transceivers, for $15.5 million in new stock. Ignis Optics is based in San Jose, California. Bookham said the acquisition would accelerate its move to provide a full XFP and SFP product set at multiple speeds and different reaches in order to address the majority of new datacom optics opportunities.
http://www.bookham.com
http://www.ignis-optics.com

• Earlier this month, Bookham announced plans to acquire New Focus.



• In July 2003, Bookham acquired the business of Cierra Photonics.



• In 2002, Bookham acquired the optical components businesses from Nortel Networks and Marconi.

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NEC Selects Ixia to Speed Development of its 10 Gigabit GlobalOpenEthernet

NEC is using Ixia's load modules and Linux Software Development Toolkit (SDK) to facilitate the research and development process of their next-generation 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch, which implements NEC's newly developed GlobalOpenEthernet (GOE) scheme. GOE aims to enhance Ethernet functionality by inserting VLAN-compatible forwarding tags in order to route packets to their destination. The Ixia test equipment has helped prove 80G full wire rate forwarding under the protocol. The architecture of the TXS series of Ixia Load Modules includes a CPU per port, running the Linux operating system, and provides the user with direct control over individual test ports.
http://www.ixiacom.com
http://www.nec.com/

• In June 2003, NEC unveiled its GlobalOpenEthernet technology aimed at optimizing carrier networks and wide-area enterprise networks based on Ethernet . The technology's key component is the extended use of the VLAN tag in the Ethernet header. NEC said the technique would accelerate failure recovery times and optimize packet forwarding paths. By aggregating the switching information to the VLAN tag, the forwarding of packets between switches would be accelerated.

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BellSouth Tests 2.3 GHz Fixed Wireless in North Carolina

America Connect and BellSouth are launching a trial of fixed wireless broadband service in two rural North Carolina counties using the 2.3 GHz WCS band. BellSouth holds WCS band licenses throughout the southeast. America Connect and BellSouth are performing this trial with the help of funding from the Rural Internet Access Authority, a state-created authority that is predominantly funded through a private grant from MCNC, a technology nonprofit located in the Research Triangle Park.
http://www.aconnect.nethttp://www.e-nc.org

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Verizon Calls on FCC to Clarify Broadband Policy

Verizon Communications issued another call on the FCC to clarify the broadband policy contained in its recently issued Triennial Review in order to reverse the "dramatic decline in capital investment in America's telecommunications infrastructure."


In a presentation to Cato Institute Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., Tom Tauke, Verizon's senior vice president for public policy & external affairs, said the FCC's order with respect to broadband makes clear that incumbent telcos are not required to lease piece parts of new fiber networks to competitors when the fiber is lit and connected to a single-family house in a market served by a provider that was never part of the Bell System, such as the former GTE. However, does the same no-unbundling-required rule apply in Bell company markets? What's the rule when the customers served live in an apartment building rather than detached housing? Tauke also believes the order is murky on the definition of a business: what's the rule when the customer is a dry cleaner or a drugstore? How about an insurance firm or office at a strip mall?


Verizon is also urging the FCC to clarify that broadband services will be regulated the same way no matter which company offers them, so "that competing broadband infrastructures will be on an equal footing."http://www.verizon.com

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Equant Supplies Global MPLS VPN to Esselte

Equant will provide a global VPN with 50 locations across four continents to Esselte, a leading global office supplies manufacturer. Under a five-year, multimillion dollar agreement, Equant will implement an MPLS-based IP VPN, replacing a Frame Relay network provided by AT&T. In addition, Equant will provide an IP dial solution for about 500 traveling users.
http://www.equant.com

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Tellabs Introduces IP/MPLS Managed Edge Platform

Tellabs introduced a new carrier-class, medium capacity (42 Gbps) "managed edge" platform designed to extend IP/MPLS from the edge of the core network to the local exchange or even to the customer premises. The new Tellabs 8600 system could be used by service providers to implement MPLS VPNs and Ethernet over MPLS, delivering application aware services such as intranet interconnectivity, extranet, business Internet access and corporate voice with QoS. It could also be used for aggregating broadband traffic from consumers and small office home office (SoHo) users. The modular platform leverages Tellabs' 8100 managed access system, which features GUI-based point-and-click service provisioning and management.


Network deployments of the new Tellabs 8600 system will begin in the first half of 2004. The product was developed at Tellabs' R&D facility in Finland.


Tellabs said this new platform, along with the Tellabs 8800 multi-service switch router (MSSR) from the recently acquired Vivace Networks, enable it to offer a complete data solution that integrates Layer 1 (transport), Layer 2 (switching) and Layer 3 (routing) capabilities.
http://www.tellabs.com

• Earlier this year, Tellabs acquired Vivace Networks, a start-up building multiservice edge switches, for $135 million in cash and employee stock options.



• The Tellabs 8800 (formerly Vivace Viva5100) is designed for delivering native Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet and IP services. It scales to 320 Gbps of full-duplex switching in half of a 7 foot rack and a multi-chassis system could scale up to 256 customer ports at 10 Gbps. A single Universal Line Card accepts a flexible set of different Physical Line Modules spanning DS3 - OC-192/STM-64.

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Extreme Networks Confirms Sub 50 Millisecond Ethernet Failover Capability

Tests conducted by BT's research, technology and IT operations business, BT Exact, have confirmed that Extreme Networks' Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) version 2 technology delivers sub 50-millisecond failover on both copper and fiber interfaces. Extreme said its performance is on par with Automatic Protection System (APS) for SONET/SDH-type network infrastructures, and surpasses the performance of the commonly deployed Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) running on a switched infrastructure. The tests conducted by BT Exact were meant to verify the EAPS capability to perform protection switching of Layer 2 traffic in less than 50ms for up to 100 protected VLANs (virtual LANs), with each VLAN carrying 1,000 traffic flows. The tests also verified that Layer 3 traffic using BGP routing performed protection switching in less than one (1) second with 100,000 BGP routes advertised and up to 10,000 traffic flows. Notably, no BGP sessions were dropped during any of the tests. Extreme Networks has posted the results on its web site.
http://www.extremenetworks.com

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CIENA Signs Reseller and Investment Deals with Luminous

Luminous Networks, a start-up based in Cupertino, California, announced a reseller agreement under which CIENA will market, sell and support its "PacketWave" optical transport products worldwide. Luminous' PacketWave E-Series is a low-cost multiservice transport platform for 1 Gbps or 2.5 Gbps metro rings. Like Luminous Networks' existing M-series (metro core) and C-Series (metro access) platforms, the PacketWave E500 leverages RPR layer 2 technology to integrate Ethernet and TDM services using ring architectures that are cheaper and more bandwidth-efficient than conventional SONET/SDH. The products are interoperable with CIENA's ONLINE Metro, ONLINE Edge, CoreDirector and the DN family of multiservice switches. Work is underway to integrate PacketWave into CIENA's ON-Center Management Suite.


Luminous began carrying live customer traffic in late 2000 and is currently installed in over 50 networks worldwide. The company has shipped over 40,000 ports and more than 1,200 PacketWave products to date. Its customer list includes MSOs in the US and the largest telecommunications carriers in China, including China Netcom.


Separately, Luminous Networks raised $25 million in series E funding led by CIENA and venture firm DCM-Doll Capital Management. The round was supported by investments from all the significant current investors including DynaFund Ventures, Vanguard Ventures, Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. and Pyramid Technology Ventures. Luminous Networks had raised over $148 million in its four previous rounds of funding.
http://www.luminous.com
http://www.ciena.com

• Scientific-Atlanta and Luminous Networks offer a joint RPR solution targeted at cable operators. Scientific-Atlanta OEMs the Luminous platform and provides Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI) and Intermediate Frequency (IF) video cards that plug into the metro optical access platform. This enables operators to centralize MPEG management, modulation and encryption functions for broadcast digital video applications at the headend. The ASI digital video broadcast (DVB) card, based on the ASI standard, supports the transport and interconnection of MPEG-2 transport streams. The Intermediate Frequency (IF) card provides transparent regional distribution of analog or digital video service over long distances.



• Luminous Networks was founded in June 1998. The company is led by Alex Naqvi, formerly VP and General Manager at Chips and Technologies.



• In September 2003, CIENA entered into a reseller agreement to market, sell and support Laurel Networks' flagship ST200 Service Edge Router, which will be integrated into CIENA's LightWorks ON-Center Management Suite. Laurel's ST200 Service Edge Router is designed for service provider IP/MPLS backbones. Separately, Laurel Networks closed a $20 million third round of funding, bringing total investment in the company to $102.3 million. The new participant in the third round is primary investor CIENA.



• In October 2002, CIENA made a strategic investment in WaveSmith Networks, a developer of multiservice data switches. In April 2003, CIENA agreed to acquire Wavesmith.

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Broadcom Realigns Its Businesses Into Four Groups

Broadcom announced a corporate reorganization into four strategic business groups. Previously, marketing and product development were conducted through six business units. The realignment is not expected to result in any reduction in companywide headcount. The new strategic business groups include:

• Enterprise Computing Group -- focused on large PC and server OEMs, storage system vendors and original design manufacturers (ODMs). Products from this Group include Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet controllers for network interface cards (NICs) and LAN on motherboard (LOM) solutions for notebook and desktop computers and servers, server I/O chipsets, and forthcoming NAS and RAID storage solutions for enterprise environments. Headed by Thomas F. Lagatta.



• Networking Infrastructure Group -- focused on enterprise and small-to-medium-sized business networking system OEMs and ODMs. End products served by this Group include physical layer, switch, security, processor and optical solutions for Layer 2 to 7 switches, routers, SONET equipment, storage area network (SAN) switches, metro switches and routers, and security appliances. Headed by Dr. Ford G. Tamer.



• Mobile & Wireless Group -- focused on cellular phone OEMs and ODMs, Wi-Fi-based PC, client, access point, and consumer and business equipment OEMs and ODMs. Products include GSM/GPRS/Edge, 802.11, and Bluetooth solutions as well as IP phone solutions. Headed by Robert A. Rango.



• Broadband Communications Group -- focused on OEMs and ODMs in the satellite, cable, xDSL and fixed wireless broadband markets. Products include solutions for cable and DSL modems and gateways; digital cable and satellite set top boxes; digital TV; CMTSs and DSLAMs. Headed by Daniel A. Marotta.

http://www.broadcom.com

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ArrayComm Names New CEO

ArrayComm, a developer of broadband mobile and smart antenna technologies, appointed Sam Endy as President and CEO. He succeeds wireless industry pioneer Martin Cooper, who will continue to serve as ArrayComm's chairman of the board. Dr. Endy was previously Chief Operating Officer of ArrayComm and played an instrumental role in the technology and market development stages for ArrayComm's flagship products -- the iBurst Personal Broadband system and IntelliCell, ArrayComm's patented smart antenna array processing techniques. Previously, he served as VP of Operations at Sprint, where he was responsible for the activation and operation of Sprint's 20,000 mile U.S. fiber network, 42 switching centers, and initiation of international service.


Martin Cooper is credited with making the first public telephone call using a portable cellular phone. In April 1973, Cooper was general manager of Motorola's Communications Systems Division. That first call was placed to Cooper's rival at AT&T's Bell Labs from the streets of New York City.
http://www.arraycomm.com

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Acterna to Emerge from Chapter 11

Acterna received bankruptcy court approval for its plan of reorganization. The company plans to emerge from Chapter 11 status in the next ten days. The debt restructuring process took approximately 5 months.


Acterna plans to introduce 12 new products and enhancements over the next three months.
http://www.acterna.com

• In August 2003, Acterna filed a plan of reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York that would reduce its long term debt by $770 million, or 80%, and lower its annual cash interest expense by at least $45 million.

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Ohio's Bascom Mutual Builds Competitive Overlay FTTP Network

Bascom Mutual Telephone, an independent operating company, is deploying Optical Solutions' new FiberPath 500 system in the area surrounding the towns of Fostoria and Tiffin, Ohio. An "edge out" policy from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio allows independent carriers such as Bascom Mutual to expand their territory via a competitive overbuild and offer broadband services in a neighboring area - all without forming a separate CLEC subsidiary. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.opticalsolutions.com

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China Unicom Awards $230 Million in CDMA Contracts to Lucent

China Unicom awarded CDMA mobile network expansion contracts valued at more than $230 million to Lucent Technologies. As part of the initial stage of China Unicom's phase III expansion, Lucent will supply CDMA2000 equipment to China Unicom's subsidiaries in six provinces including Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Guangdong.
http://www.lucent.com
http://www.lucent.com.cn

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NTT Photonics Labs Announces KTN Crystal Breakthrough

NTT Photonics Laboratories reported a breakthrough in its efforts to develop better optical waveguides. Researchers at NTT have synthesized a KTN crystals that could be used in optical modulators and optical switches with a driving voltage one order of magnitude lower than that of conventional optical devices. KTN is a transparent optical crystal composed of potassium, tantalum, niobium, and oxygen.
http://www.ntt.co.jp/news/news03e/0309/030924.html

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