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CIENA
ACQUIRES CYRAS FOR ITS DATA-OPTIMIZED SONET SYSTEM
CIENA has agreed to acquire Cyras Systems, a start-up based
in Fremont, California, for $2.6 billion in stock (27 million
CIENA shares). Cyras
is developing a data-optimized SONET transport and switching
platform that is designed to incorporate the functionality of
digital cross-connects, SONET Add/Drop Multiplexers, ATM service
access multiplexers and switches, Frame Relay access switches,
DSLAMs, DWDM wavelength adapters and MPLS switches in a single
network element. The
Cyras K2 platform has been shipped to four customers for trial
thus far. Commercial availability is expected in the first half of
2001. CIENA said that
the acquisition will expand its solutions from the core of the
network to the network edge.
Following completion of the transaction, Cyras will become
a new CIENA division focusing on multi-service access and
switching. The
division will be headed by Cyras founder, CEO and president Alnoor
Shivji. http://www.ciena.com/news/archive/2000/12/12.19.2000.html
http://cyras.com/
Ciena, December 19, 2000
- Cyras' Trans-Metro Optical
platform grooms traffic efficiently from metro access points
onto SONET core networks while preserving native traffic
protocols (TDM, ATM, Frame Relay, IP, Ethernet, xDSL).
The platform uses high-density cross-connect ASICs for
backplane support up to 480 Gbps of traffic.
The design offers granularity from fractional DS-1 to
multiple OC-192s.
- Since its founding in July 1998,
Cyras has raised a total of $220 million, including $70
million in three rounds of venture funding and $150 million in
convertible subordinated debt in August 2000.
- Cyras founders Alnoor Shivji,
Rafat Pirzada and Sunil Tomar were co-founders of Fiberlane
(Cerent).
- Cyras
represents CIENA’s sixth acquisition.
The company’s two largest acquisitions were of
Lightera Networks for $552 million and Omnia Communications
for $429 million, both in March 1999.
In June 1998 CIENA and Tellabs agreed to a $7.1 billion
merge, which they mutually called off three months later.
THE
ODSI COALITION DEMONSTRATES ITS "OPTICAL DIALTONE"
The Optical Domain Service Interconnect (ODSI) coalition
completed the first round of vendor interoperability testing of
its "optical dialtone" protocol specification between
various IP and optical devices.
The ODSI specification is an electrical-optical interface
protocol designed to leverage native intelligence at both the IP
and optical layers of the public network. The goal is to enable
electrically-based network devices such as IP routers, ATM
switches and metro transport devices to interoperate with a
dynamic optical core. The
interoperability testing, which was conducted at Valiant Networks'
facilities in San Jose, California using Agilent Technologies’
Optical Control Plane Analysis Software, tested equipment from
Alcatel, Équipe Communications, Redback Networks, Sycamore
Networks and Tenor Networks. The ODSI coalition plans to
hand off its work to established standard setting bodies such as
the OIF, IETF, ITU and T1/X1. Its next meeting is scheduled
for January 23, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. http://www.odsi-coalition.com/
ODSI Coalition, December 19, 2000
360NETWORKS
WINS LONG-TERM AGREEMENT WITH DEUTSCHE TELEKOM
360networks announced a network services agreement with
Deutsche Telekom for broadband capacity, dark fiber, colocation
and maintenance services. The
contract’s value is estimated at $230 million. 360networks will
provide Deutsche Telekom with multiple 2.5 Gbps
wavelengths throughout its North American network, and Deutsche
Telekom will be able to acquire dark fiber, collocation, and
equipment maintenance services from 360networks for 20 years.
The North American network will connect with Deutsche
Telekom’s network in 40 countries.
http://www.360.net/News---Releases---Details.asp?ID=101
360networks, December 19, 2000
COREEXPRESS
TO PURCHASE $100 MILLION IN SYCAMORE SN 16000 SWITCHES
CoreExpress will purchase up to $100 million in Sycamore SN
16000 intelligent optical
switches for its CoreExpress Extranet, which promises a new model
for transferring traffic between ISPs with guaranteed performance
based on financial incentives.
Sycamore will provide CoreExpress with financing for the
purchase. The
CoreExpress Internet Data Exchange System (iDESSM), the platform
for the CoreExpress Extranet service, will consist of a
22,000-mile, fully-redundant, OC-192, fiber optic network
utilizing DWDM and MPLS. http://www.coreexpress.net/
http://www.sycamorenet.com
Sycamore, December 19, 2000
TELOCITY
TESTS “BROADBAND HOME THEATER” FROM VILLA MONTAGE
Villa Montage, a start-up based in Santa Clara, California,
announced a pilot trial of its "Broadband Home Theater"
technology over Telocity’s residential DSL network.
Villa Montage uses a combination of video over IP,
multipoint distribution, local caching and streaming to offset
bottleneck issues. The
video is downloaded directly to a residential gateway (not
through a customer's computer) for viewing over a regular TV.
The application can support extremely high-resolution
video, including DVD and HDTV resolutions, as well as full VCR
functionality (pause, rewind and fast forward). Villa Montage will
also provide digital rights enforcement technology to reduce the
risk of piracy.
http://www.villamontage.com
http://www.telocity.net
Villa Montage, December 18, 2000
- Telocity offers residential DSL
service in more 1,500 cities in 35 states.
As of September 30, 2000 the company had 23,494
subscribers.
- The Villa Montage platform is a
technology agnostic architecture, which works over any
"always on" broadband connection, including DSL,
MMDS, and cable.
- Villa Montage Systems was
founded in the fall of 1999 by Tony Clark, former vice
president of strategic planning for Bay Networks and Nortel
Networks. Villa
Montage Chairman Dave House previously headed Intel’s
Microcomputer Group, and was CEO of Bay Networks and president
of Nortel.
NTT
DOCOMO, HP ANNOUNCE JOINT 4G MULTIMEDIA RESEARCH EFFORT
NTT DoCoMo, Inc. and Hewlett-Packard announced a joint
research effort to improve multimedia delivery and network
applications over fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband
networks. The
companies hope to offer high performance multimedia streaming to
mobile users with their “MOTO-Media” architecture, which will
be based on agent technology, optimal use of network resources and
scalable media coding methods.
DoCoMo and HP aim to finish their shared study of basic
technology by 2003. http://www.nttdocomo.com/top.shtml
http://www.hp.com
NTT DoCoMo, December 19, 2000
- NTT DoCoMo has over 33 million
subscribers.
INTERSIL
AND SONY DEVELOP NEW WLAN PROTOCOL FOR AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING
Intersil announced the development of Point Coordination
Function (PCF) technology for its PRISM WLAN chip set.
Intersil and Sony collaborated on the development of the
PCF technology. When
used in conjunction with a Sony-developed communication protocol,
PCF technology allows fast, wireless streaming of high-quality
audio and video content over IEEE 802.11b wireless networks.
The first use of the technology is in Sony’s new "airboard"
personal IT television for the Japanese market, which provides
Internet access and video viewing from a single, portable LCD
monitor from anywhere in the home.
The 11 Mbps wireless Ethernet
PRISM chip set with PCF and Sony communication protocol allows the
product to operate to the IEEE's 802.11b standard.
http://www.intersil.com/
Intersil, December 19, 2000
- Inersil announced that PRISM
WLAN chips have been incorporated in over 100 product designs
by fifty companies, including Alcatel, Cisco, Compaq, 3Com,
Dell, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Siemens and Sony.
QUANTUM
BRIDGE FILES FOR IPO
Quantum Bridge, a start-up developing an optical access
system, filed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) papers for
an initial public offering. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter is
acting as lead manager for the offering with J.P. Morgan &
Co., Lazard, Robertson Stephens, and UBS Warburg LLC acting as
co-managers. http://www.quantumbridge.com/
Quantum Bridge, December 19, 2000
- Quantum Bridge’s system
consists of a central office Optical Access Switch and a
customer premise Intelligent Optical Terminal (IOT).
The architecture uses a Dynamic Wavelength Slicing (DWS)
protocol to share a single wavelength delivering broadband
services among multiple end-points.
Quantum Bridge’s IOT initially supports 10/100BaseTx
Ethernet and TDM, ATM and Frame Relay DS1 (T1) service
interfaces. Its
Optical Access Switch, which is located in a central office,
service node or head-end, can aggregate services from
hundreds of downstream IOTs. The switch is equipped with a
standard OC-12c WAN interface and a redundant 5 Gbps
(upgradeable to 20 Gbps) IP and ATM switching fabric.
By eliminating electrical components in the outside
plant with PON technology, Quantum Bridge expects to
significantly lower the cost of first mile fiber access.
The company is based in North
Andover, MA.
- In
October, Comcast Telecommunications awarded a
multi-year, multi-city contract to Quantum Bridge for its
Optical Access System.
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