SYCAMORE ADDS GIGABIT ETHERNET MODULE TO OPTICAL PLATFORM
Sycamore Networks introduced a Gigabit Ethernet module for its SN 8000 Intelligent Optical Network Node designed to provide metropolitan area Ethernet services.  The module can be software switched in real time to support Fiber Channel.  Sycamore said its two-port module uses a unique shared wavelength approach that allows the SN 8000 to add and/or drop individual Gigabit Ethernet or Fiber Channel services independently of each other, without "burning" a wave.  The module frames inbound IP traffic from both Gigabit Ethernet ports into a single OC-48/STM-16 SONET/SDH stream.  Availability is forecast for Q2.  Utfors, a Scandinavian service provider, plans to use the platform in cities in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.   http://www.sycamorenet.com
Sycamore Networks, February 14, 2000

Sycamore's SN 8000 optical add/drop network nodes provide 1-44 wavelengths and can extend to distance of 500km without electrical regeneration.

CORNING ACQUIRES NETOPTIX, PHOTONICS RESEARCH CENTER OF BRITISH TELECOM
Corning announced plans to acquire NetOptix Corporation, a supplier of DWDM thin film filters, for approximately $2 billion in stock.  NetOptix is headquartered in Sturbridge, Massachusetts and owns Optical Filter Corporation and OFC GmbH.  Separately, Corning acquired BT’s Photonics Technology Research Centre (PTRC), for approximately $66 million.  The research centre is located at BT’s Adastral Park, Martlesham, Suffolk, UK and is working on planar integrated optics, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), electro-absorption modulators (EAMs) and other optical networking innovations.  http://www.corning.com/news/news_update3/index.html
http://www.netoptix.com
Corning, February 14, 2000

CORNING AND SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS FORM OPTICAL JOINT VENTURE
Corning and Samsung Electronics formed a joint venture to mass-produce DWDM packaged components using robotics and other automation.  Samsung Corning Micro-Optics will be located in an existing Samsung facility near Seoul, Korea.  Volume manufacturing is expected by mid-year.  The company also intends to become a supplier of passive optical components for Corning's EDFA module business.  http://www.corning.com/news/news_update2/index.html
Corning, February 14, 2000

ECI TELECOM DEBUTS TERAPOP BOX:  DWDM + 4/3/1 DCS + SDH + IP + ATM
ECI Telecom announced plans for a single shelf, ”Tera-POP in a Box” solution that will combine a DWDM multiplexer, narrow, wide and broadband Digital Cross-Connects, IP routing, ATM switching and SDH Add-Drop-multiplexers.  The XDM product will use a switching matrix that allows full non-blocking Low Order (VC-12) connectivity of hundreds of STM-1s in a single shelf.  ECI Telecom said its all-in-one optical platform would allows direct mapping of any 2 Mbps circuit into any of STM-16 or STM-64 or DWDM trunk, thus providing a multi-ADM-64 or Optical ADM (OADM) with full low order connectivity.  A working system will be shown at CeBIT 2000; beta testing is expected by mid-year.  http://www.ecitele.com/solutions_netsystems_xdm.htm
ECI Telecom, February 14, 2000

GTE SELECTS NORTEL'S OPTERA FOR METRO OPTICAL SERVICES
GTE Network Services named Nortel Networks as its primary supplier of optical networking equipment.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  GTE plans to use Nortel's OPTera Metro platform for services including ESCON, FICON, FIDDI, Fibre Channel, Gigabit Ethernet, SONET, SDH and D1 video. http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2000a/02_14_0000027_gte_optera.html
Nortel Networks, February 14, 2000

NORTEL AND TELLABS ANNOUNCE OPTICAL CROSS LICENSING AGREEMENT
Nortel Networks and Tellabs announced a broad patent cross-licensing agreement covering SONET/SDH and optical networking patents.  Nortel Networks will receive a net royalty in connection with the cross-license.  Other terms were not disclosed.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2000a/02_14_0000081_tellabs.html   http://www.tellabs.com
Nortel Networks, February 14, 2000

NORTEL INVESTS US$260 MILLION IN MANUFACTURING EXPANSION FOR OPTICAL
Nortel Networks will invest a further US$260 million in manufacturing, engineering and supply chain management of its optical networking and components business to create a 30% increase in its ability to produce optical systems.  The new investment adds to a US$400 million expansion program for optical networking that Nortel Networks announced in November 1999.
Nortel Networks, February 14, 2000

LASERCOMM NAMES FORMER CORNING EXECUTIVE AS PRESIDENT
LaserComm, a start-up developing photonic components, named Daniel A. Acton as President and Chief Operating Officer.  Acton formerly served as President and CEO of Corning Optical Corporation of America.  LaserComm is working on a Spatial Mode Transformation technology that could be used to control and adjust chromatic dispersion and non-linear effects in optical transmission systems.  The Hi-Mode Dispersion Management devices recently completed a series of pre-beta tests.  LaserComm is based in Richardson, Texas with development labs in Tel Aviv, Israel.  http://www.lasercomm-inc.com/
LaserComm, February 14, 2000

PHONE.COM TO ACQUIRE ONEBOX.COM FOR $850 MILLION
Phone.Com, which offers an Internet-based browsing platform for mobile phones and other devices, will acquire Onebox.com for approximately $850 in stock.  Onebox.com offers an integrated Voice/Fax/Email service via the Web.  The Onebox.com suite will be integrated with Phone.com's platform and will be delivered as outsourced solution or standalone product to telecom and Internet-based service providers worldwide.  Onebox.com signed up 2.5 million registered users for its free and premium voicemail/fax/email box since unveiling the service 6 months ago.  Phone.com has also recently acquired @Motion, a developer of speaker-independent voice recognition and state-of-the-art text-to-speech technologies
Phone.Com, February 14, 2000

RIO COMMUNICATIONS CHARTS MULTI-VENDOR VODSL STRATEGY
Rio Communications, a CLEC based in Eugene, Oregon selected AccessLan, CopperCom, DTI Networks, and Woodwind Communications as strategic partners to build a converged Voice over DSL (VoDSL) network.  The company is currently building an ATM backbone over OC-12 SONET rings and plans to provide feature-rich DSL services in 15 markets in the Pacific Northwest.  The deployment will use eight of DTI Networks' Telecommunication Services Portal (TSP) and CSX 2100 end office switches to create decouple call processing from switching, thus enabling rapid voice feature creation and management.  Rio will deploy Woodwind's ClariNet Integrated Access Gateway at the customer site.  AccessLan's PacketLoop PL-2000 DSL Service Concentrator will be used at the End Office, handing voice packets off to CopperCom's Gateway.  The CopperCom gateway will convert the voice packets into TDM and passes them on to the DTI CSX 2100 local telephone switch.  The solution will support up to 16-phone lines and data traffic over a single copper pair.  http://www.dtinetworks.com/  http://www.coppercom.com/comm/rio.html 
February 14, 2000

U.S. ONLINE SELECTS DTI NETWORK’S NEXT GENERATION END OFFICE
U.S. Online, a CLEC based in Austin, Texas plans to deploy DTI Networks' Telecommunication Services Portal (TSP) and CSX 2100 end office solution to deliver innovative voice features to residential subscribers.  The TSP is a call control server for circuit switched and packet/cell-based networks that decouples call processing from switching.  The TSP, which operates as a call control server for circuit switched and packet/cell-based networks, uses Call Policy Markup Language (CPML), an open extension of XML created by DTI, to migrate the CLASS features and enhanced services of the telecommunications network out of proprietary operating systems.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.dtinetworks.com
DTI Networks, February 14, 2000

COPPERCOM AND ACCESSLAN ANNOUNCE VODSL PARTNERSHIP
CopperCom and AccessLan announced a partnership matching AccessLan's DSLAM and CopperCom's VoDSL Gateway.  The companies have already established interoperability between the CopperCom Gateway and AccessLan's PL-2000 DSL Service Concentrator.
http://www.coppercom.com/comm/accesslan.html
http://www.accesslan.com/
CopperCom, February 14, 2000

T.SQWARE SECURES $29 MILLION FOR NETWORK PROCESSORS
T.sqware, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California raised $29.3 million in new funding for its network edge processors.  The company claims more than 20 design wins for its network edge processor.  Investors in this round included Gilbert Global Equity Partners, GE Capital, Merrill Lynch, Seligman, RS Fund (formerly Robertson Stephens Ventures) First Hand, Dain Rausher Wessels and others.  http://www.tsqware.com
T.sqware, February 14, 2000