ZAFFIRE DEBUTS OPTICAL SERVICE PLATFORM FOR METRO HUB AGGREGATION
Zaffire, a start-up based in San Jose, California, introduced a metro/regional optical service platform featuring support for legacy SONET systems, longer fiber reach and MPLS-based switching capabilities.  The new Zaffire Z3000, which is currently under evaluation with Williams Communications and Broadband Office, is built specifically for metro hub aggregation.  The system provides transparent and opaque wavelength transport services to existing equipment, including SONET, SDH and Gigabit Ethernet at speeds from 155 Mbps to 10 Gbps.  The platform scales to 256 wavelengths (up to 2.5 Tbps) on a fiber pair using 50 GHz channel spacing.  Zaffire uses a digital wrapper monitoring technology to provide non-intrusive performance monitoring of end-to-end wavelength quality.  Protection can be specified per wavelength, per user port, and per Z3000 hardware element. The platform also features inband management, forward error correction and can scale to distances of 400 km without electrical regeneration or external amplifiers. Power balancing features enable the use of low-cost in-line amps and filters.  Zaffire's architecture leverages a Fractional Wavelength technology to multiplex diverse traffic types (IP, ATM, Frame Relay, Gigabit Ethernet, Voice and TDM) within a single wavelength.  At the same time, traffic can be packed efficiently across wavelengths and appear as a single trunk to the network.  MPLS is used to maintain QoS.  http://www.zaffire.com/
Zaffire, May 22, 2000

• Zaffire (formerly New Access Communications) has received venture funding from MRV Communications, BroadBand Office., Williams Communications, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and Juniper Networks.  The company is led by Tony Lavia, who previously served as vice president and general manager of the ATMnet business unit at Newbridge Networks.

CALIENT TARGETS ALL-PHOTONIC SWITCHING WITH MICRO ARRAYS OF MOVABLE MIRRORS
Calient Networks (formerly Chromisys), a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, announced its entrance into the emerging market for all-optical switches.  Calient's photonic platform will be based on nanoscale SCREAM (Scalable Control of a Rearrangeable and Extensible Array of Mirrors) technology to support full lambda switching.  The company said its architecture will provide a seamless "opto-electronic to photonic" migration path that is non-disruptive to legacy operations.  A demonstration is planned for the upcoming SuperComm show in Atlanta.  http://www.calient.net
Calient Networks, May 22, 2000

• Calient Networks is led by Charles Corbalis, who most recently served as the Vice President and General Manager of the Multiservice Switching/WAN Business Unit at Cisco Systems.  He previously was a co-founder and Vice President of Engineering for StrataCom.  Calient Networks was co-founded by Dr. Daniel Blumenthal and Dr. John Bowers, both professors at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  The company recently raised $50 million in second round of financing with the support Juniper Networks, Tellabs, Greylock, Enterprise Partners, Telesoft Partners and Storm Ventures.

MAYAN RELEASES ITS "SMARTER SONET" BOX
MAYAN Networks, a start-up based in Sunnyvale, California, introduced a multi-service optical access platform that aggregates and switches voice and data communications traffic over SONET more efficiently.  A key feature of the MAYAN Unifier platform is its ability to interoperate with existing SONET add-drop multiplexers (ADMs) at the physical, control and signaling levels.  The system integrates the functionality of a 3/1/0 digital cross-connect switch (DCS), switching TDM, Frame, IP and ATM traffic from OC-48 all the way down to DS0.  The system grooms voice and data traffic onto SONET payloads in VT1.5 (1.5 Mbps) increments.  Whereas traditional SONET equipment might map a 4 Mbps data stream onto an entire 51.84 Mbps SONET STS-1 (less than 10% bandwidth efficiency), the MAYAN unifier would map the same 4 Mbps data stream into three VT1.5's, and pack those VT1.5s with others inside the STS-1 (over 90% bandwidth efficiency).  Other key features of the platform include "any protocol to any port" provisioning, multi-layer TDM and packet-based processing, and statistical multiplexing for supporting network oversubscription.  The chassis initially supports SONET and OC-3 and OC-12, and customer interfaces at T1/E1, T3/E3, HDSL-2 and Ethernet 10/100 Base-T.  Future support of SONET OC-48 and Gigabit Ethernet is planned.  http://www.mayannetworks.com/
MAYAN Networks, May 22, 2000

• MAYAN Networks is led by Dan Gatti, who previously was the vice president and general manager of 3Com’s Network Service Provider Division.  The company has raised over $90 million in funding from Intel, NTT Leasing, E*TRADE, Amerindo Investment Partners, Berkeley International, Doll Capital Mgt., Technology Crossover Ventures, Brentwood Venture, New Enterprise Associates, Oak Investment Partners and US Venture Partners. 

CENTERPOINT BROADBAND TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPS RF MODULATION FOR OPTICAL TRANSPORT
Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, a start-up based in San Jose, California, is developing a Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) technology to increase bandwidth capacities of metropolitan fiber networks without using DWDM.  Centerpoint's SCM technology takes a digital input signal and modulates it into a radio frequency (RF) signal.  The technology could be used for aggregating and transporting multi-service traffic within optical networks at rates up to 40 Gbps.  Centerpoint said its system can accept nearly any form of optical input, making it possible to connect both legacy systems to the network without having to multiplex the signal to match existing network speeds. By handling traffic in its native mode, Centerpoint's systems could offer performance monitoring and a choice of protection schemes on a subcarrier-by-subcarrier basis.   http://www.centerpoint.com/
Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, May 22, 2000

• Centerpoint's technology relies on twelve key patent and patent disclosures that were licensed from Lockheed Martin on an exclusive basis.  The technology is used in government communication systems.  The company is led by Dana Waldman, who previously served as director of Lockeed Martin's Advanced Communications Systems (ACS).  Centerpoint Broadband Technologies has secured over $55 million in funding from BancBoston Ventures Inc., ComVentures, ViVentures, Menlo Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners and Cisco Systems.

QUARRY TECHNOLOGIES UNVEILS ITS APPLICATION SERVICE EDGE SWITCH
Quarry Technologies, a start-up based in Burlington, MA., introduced its Application Service Edge switch designed for provisioning and managing high-value IP services for up to tens of thousands of business customers and millions of users.  Quarry's new iQ8000 platform sits between a broadband access network (DSL, ATM, switched Ethernet etc.) and the WAN backbone.  The switch will leverage a Flow Application Streaming Technology (FAST) that combines high-performance custom ASICs, network processors from Sitera and proprietary algorithms for priority queuing, virtual routing and real-time statistics at speeds up to OC-48.  Quarry's packet processing system provides wire speed traffic classification, policing, fine-grained queuing, dynamic firewall filtering, address translation and priority-sensitive traffic aggregation, thereby enabling the enforcement of application-specific Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to each business customer.  VPN support will include IPSec, L2TP and MPLS.  Routing support includes BGP-4 and the common Distance Vector and Link-State protocols.  The initial Quarry iQ8000 will be offered as a 16-slot, NEBs Level 3-compliant chassis with interfaces for ATM and Packet-over-SONET/SDH up to OC-12, and Ethernet up to Gigabit speed. Customer trials are slated for later this summer.  General availability is expected by early next year.  http://www.quarrytech.com
Quarry Technologies, May 22, 2000

• Quarry Technologies was co-founded by Jean Hammond, along with a core team from the BBN/GTEI SuperRouter project.  Hammond previously was responsible for 3Com's WAN strategy following its acquisition of AXON Technology, another company which she co-founded.  In February, Quarry raised $22 million in funding investors include Walden International Investment Group, ArchVenture Partners, Alta Partners, Tredegar Investments, Sofinnova Ventures, MGN Opportunity Group, Boston University Community Technology Fund, Dow Chemical Company and Genuity (BBN/GTE).

PRESENCE AND AVAILABILITY MANAGEMENT (PAM) SPEC PROPOSED FOR INSTANT MESSAGING
Lucent Technologies and Novell presented the first draft of a Presence and Availability Management (PAM) Application Programming Interface (API) specification designed for customizing communications services to users' preferences.  The PAM specification describes a software platform designed to enable service providers to securely share certain data necessary to deliver advanced, customizable voice and data services that interact across both wired and wireless networks.  An overview of the PAM proposal is available online at http://www.pamforum.org
Lucent Technologies, May 22, 2000

AGILENT INTRODUCES 3G WIRELESS TEST SOLUTION
Agilent Technologies introduced a test solution for Radio Access Networks (RAN), the ground-based infrastructure required for delivery of 3G wireless services. The RAN must be able to manage a wide range of tasks for each 3G user, including access, roaming, transparent connection to the public switched telephone network and the Internet, and Quality of Service (QoS) management for data and Web connections.  Agilent's 3GTS provides testing tools for multiple protocols used by the RAN.  http://www.agilent.com/about/news/2000/22may2000a.html
Agilent Technologies, May 22, 2000

LSI LOGIC ACQUIRES DATAPATH FOR ITS ADSL SILICON EXPERTISE
LSI Logic will acquire DataPath Systems, a privately-held developer of analog/digital ICs for ADSL, for $420 million in stock (May 21 prices).  DataPath's product portfolio includes ADSL/G.lite analog front end for the central office, and a remote terminal full-rate ADSL/G.lite analog front end with line driver on a single chip. The company is based in San Jose, California, and has 115 employees.  http://www.lsilogic.com/news/nwsreleases/pr0243.html
http://www.datapathsystems.com
LSI Logic, May 22, 2000

LSI LOGIC LICENSES ALCATEL DMT TECHNOLOGY
LSI Logic has licensed key discrete multitone (DMT) technology from Alcatel for use in ADSL systems-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions.  LSI Logic said the ADSL DMT technology would be a key building block, along with its DSP and MPEG2 technology, for future audio and video-enabled devices.  http://www.lsilogic.com/
LSI Logic, May 22, 2000

ALCATEL SELECTS TI'S DSPS FOR ITS SPEED TOUCH INTEGRATED ACCESS DEVICE
Alcatel will use Texas Instruments' digital signal processors (DSPs) and Telogy software for its new line of customer premise Speed Touch Integrated Access Device.  The new VoDSL-enabled modems will provide end users with second, third and fourth managed voice lines on a single copper phone line.  The Telogy software supports pulse code modulation (PCM)/adaptive differential PCM (ADPCM), as well as low bit rate CODECs that optimize the network's bandwidth resources to more efficiently deliver multiple toll-quality voice lines and data simultaneously.  The Alcatel modems will support up to four Ethernet ports with bridging and routing functionality. http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/news/2000/00076.htm
Texas Instruments, May 22, 2000

ORCKIT SPINS OFF DSL SEMICONDUCTOR GROUP
The new public company to be formed upon the spin-off of Orckit's semiconductor business will be named Tioga Technologies (Nasdaq: TIGA).  The company will focus on DSL silicon solutions, including ADSL/G.lite, HDSL, SDSL, HDSL2 and VDSL.  http://www.orckit.com/fr_pr_000522.html
Orckit, May 22, 2000

GLOBAL CROSSING SUES TYCO FOR DAMAGES IN UNDERSEA NETWORK DEPLOYMENTS
Global Crossing filed a lawsuit against Tyco Submarine Systems seeking damages in excess of $1 billion for problems relating to the deployment of the South American Crossing fiber-optic cable system, the Atlantic Crossing (AC-1) system and certain other projects.
http://www.globalcrossing.com/pressreleases/pr_052200b.htm
Global Crossing, May 22, 2000

• Separately, Global Crossing announced a $50 million contract to supply dedicated Internet access, ATM and leased fiber capacity to TriVergent, a regional service provider in the southeastern US.