Centillium Launches Optical Business Unit, Targeting FTTP

Centillium Communications unveiled its plans to enter the broadband optical access market. Centillium plans infrastructure solutions that offer higher integration, broader functionality, smaller footprints and lower power consumption for both central office (CO) and customer premises equipment (CPE). These products include optical transceivers to control the bi-directional traffic on a fiber cable; FTTP chipsets to manage the high-speed protocols between the CO and the CPE terminals; and broadband service processors to facilitate in-premises networking and delivery of voice, video and data to the end-users. Development has been underway since 2002.



Centillium said the new optical line would complement its market positions in DSL and VoIP.
The business unit is headed by Armando Pereira, former Co-founder, President and CEO of Alloptic, a start-up the pioneered Ethernet-based optical access equipment.



Centillium also announced the appointment of 3 industry executives to the unit:
Babu Jain, Vice President of Engineering; Dr. Katsuhiko Kurumada, Chief Architect; and Bernd Hesse, Director of Product Line Management. Prior to joining Centillium, Jain served as Vice President of Optical Networking Systems Engineering for Infineon Technologies North America.



Dr. Kurumada started his career at NTT Electrical Communication Laboratories, where he held several leadership positions, including Optical Semiconductor Section Head and Department Director in charge of the development of optical devices for the NTT network. Prior to joining Centillium, Dr. Kurumada was with NTT Electronics Corporation where he led the development of new types of adaptive photonic switching devices with applications in optical access networks.



Prior to assuming his post at Centillium, Hesse held a variety of senior marketing and business development positions with Cisco Systems, Ericsson and Phillips Communications Industry AG. While at Cisco, Hesse participated in the development and implementation of the company's SONET/SDH market strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. As Director of Business Development/Marketing for Ericsson Fiber Access Division, he was responsible for the company's PON - FTTH marketing strategy and managed the firm's successful implementation of Deutsche Telekom's FTTH deployment. http://www.centillium.com