ATOGA COMBINES TUNABLE LASERS AND IP INTELLIGENCE FOR OPTICAL APPLICATION ROUTER
Atoga Systems, a start-up based in Fremont, California, introduced an "optical application router" that combines tunable lasers and packet intelligence to provide on-demand bandwidth provisioning and dynamic optical scaling.  Atoga's platform integrates IP, SONET and WDM layers using a directory-based policy management system to groom and manage specific applications and traffic types onto an optical metro network.  The tunable lasers will enable service providers to create multiple logical topologies in a physical ring.  By integrating per-application bandwidth policing and IP routing, service providers could match applications to specific wavelengths.  Atoga's initial product, the Optical Application Router 5 (OAR 5), supports 5 Gbps of switching capacity and can be configured with a 16-port 10/100 Base TX or FX interface card or a two-port Gigabit Ethernet SX interface card. TDM services are available via a one-port channelized DS3 interface.  The platform is currently in beta testing.   http://www.atoga.com/press_release.asp?PID=6
Atoga Systems, January 15, 2001

• Atoga Systems was co-founded by Cüneyt Özveren, a previous co-founder of Berkeley Networks (sold to FORE Systems);  P.G. K. Menon, one of the original designers of Digital's GigaSwitch FDDI product and previously the director of marketing at YAGO Systems (acquired by Cabletron); and Debasish Biswas, previously a director of software at FORE Systems (now Marconi).

CONEXANT 136X137 CROSSPOINT SWITCHING CHIP OFFERS 449 GBPS CAPACITY
Conexant introduced a crosspoint switch chip that allows 136 independent channels to switch traffic at 3.3 Gbps per channel, yielding a total throughput of 449 Gbps and 1.8 Tbps of input/output performance.  The device could be used as the central switching matrix for hundreds of line cards.  Conexant said its 136x137 device leverages key semiconductor packaging and integration advances to squeeze much higher switching density into the single crosspoint chip.  The chip will also include an internal pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) generator and PRBS receiver to count bit errors and facilitate system diagnostics and testing.  The device will be fabricated using a bipolar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) manufacturing process.   http://www.conexant.com
Conexant, January 15, 2001

AT&T BROADBAND DEPLOYS COMANAGE’S CUSTOMER-AWARE SERVICE MONITORING
AT&T Broadband Network Solutions has deployed a customer-aware service monitoring system from CoManage, a start-up based in Pittsburgh, PA., to manage existing and new services.  CoManage's Integrated Service Manager (ISM) enables the carrier to see how network events and performance affect the connections and services of particular customers.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.comanage.net/pressreleases/pr011501.html
CoManage, January 15, 2001

• CoManage's Integrated Service Manager architecture leverages a real-time database that links information about network elements, services and customers with network discovery, provisioning, fault management and performance monitoring capabilities.  Network events can be correlated with affected customers and services, enabling service providers to proactively inform customers when there are service-affecting events. The system is designed to work in multi-vendor networks.  AT&T Canada is already using the CoManage system to enhance its Transparent LAN and ATM services.
  
• CoManage was founded by Dave Nelson and Andrew Fraley, both formerly with FORE Systems.

CISCO INTRODUCES POINT-TO-MULTIPOINT WIRELESS, PAIRING VOFDM AND DOCSIS MAC
Cisco introduced a point-to-multipoint fixed wireless system that uses Vector Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (VOFDM) technology to enhance or recreate transmitted signals over MMDS and UNII spectrum.  VOFDM, which was recently adopted by the Broadband Wireless Internet Forum (BWIF), functions in non-line-of-sight environments. Cisco's new WT-2750 Multipoint Broadband Wireless System is designed to integrate with its uBR7200 Universal Broadband Router (uBR) and 2600/3600 family of Modular Access Routers.  Cisco said that by pairing VOFDM technology with a DOCSIS MAC layer it will be able to deliver last mile access with the performance, scalability, security and ease-of-provisioning equal to that of alternative wireline broadband networks, such as cable and DSL. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/fspnisapi.dll?pagename=fulltxt&STORYID=560
Cisco Systems, January 15, 2001

• Cisco gained VOFDM technology through its acquisition of Clarity Wireless in September 1998.
  

• The Broadband Wireless Internet Forum (BWIF) is an industry association working to create a single, unified broadband wireless access industry standard based on VOFDM.  The 38 member companies include Agilent, Broadcom, Cisco, National Semiconductor, Redback Networks, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba. http://www.bwif.org 
  

• Last year, the FCC approved a request by Clarity Wireless (Cisco Systems) for the regular use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Modulation ("OFDM") at stations operating in the Multipoint Distribution Service (MDS) and the Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) bands.

IOSPAN WIRELESS SECURES $47 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING FOR FIXED WIRELESS
Iospan Wireless, which was previously known as Gigabit Wireless, raised $47 million in third round funding.  Iospan’s AirBurst system uses a Multiple-In, Multiple-Out (MIMO) smart antenna, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and Space/Time Processing techniques to offer Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) operation and QoS.  The AirBurst products will include a Base Station, an Access Device and a System Manager.  New investors include Accel Venture Partners, Amerindo, Dain Rauscher Wessels, Deutsche Bank Alex Brown, Flextronics, J.P. Morgan, Meritech Capital Partners and U.S. Venture Partners.  http://www.iospanwireless.com/news_events/ne_pr_011501_a.html
Iospan, January 15, 2001

FUJITSU DELIVERS 176 CHANNEL OPTICAL ADD/DROP MUX WITH TUNABLE LASERS
Fujitsu Network Communications began commercial installations of its highest capacity FLASHWAVE OADX optical add/drop platform, which is capable of delivering 1.76 Tbps and features Fujitsu's tunable lasers as standard equipment.  The system can carry a total of 176 channels in the C band and the L band.  It uses a spacing of 50 GHz between channels, and can transmit at up to 10 Gbps per channel. The system is also designed to support 40 Gbps signals.

Fujitsu also announced availability of its next-generation SONET add/drop multiplexer.  The FLASH 2400 ADX delivers support for six OC-48s, with full drop.  A universal interface slot approach supports up to eight OC-48 unidirectional path switched rings (UPSRs) or two 2 fiber bi-directional line switched rings (BLSR) in a single shelf.  The platform is upgradeable from OC-48 to OC-192.  Direct data interfaces such as 10/100 Base-T and Gigabit Ethernet, will be added in a subsequent release.  http://www.fnc.fujitsu.com/news/releases.html
Fujitsu Network Communications, January 15, 2001

OCULAR NETWORKS RAISES $30 MILLION FOR ITS TDM/ATM/IP METRO PLATFORM
Ocular Networks, a start-up based in Reston, Virginia, raised $30 million in second round funding to support its development of optical solutions for metro area networks.  The company has raised $50 million to date. Investors include JAFCO Ventures, Comdisco Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Columbia Capital and Highland Capital Partners. http://www.ocularnetworks.com/news/funding.htm
Ocular Networks, January 15, 2001

• Ocular Networks' Single Switch is designed for delivering Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), ATM and IP traffic natively over a single, high-speed switching fabric.  The box will use custom ASICs to allocate both switching and transport between native TDM and data automatically and dynamically, based on traffic input.  Ocular’s combination of hardware and software will characterize incoming traffic; choose the correct path, priority, and QoS parameters through switching fabric; and perform bandwidth management functions associated with both TDM cross-connect and data switching functions.  The design uses a common high-speed switch matrix, preserving the native characteristics of the traffic in the process.  The system would provide direct mapping of circuits into TDM/SONET formats within the SONET standard for jitter and delay.  A proprietary Bandwidth Sharing Protocol would provide real-time partitioning of transport links for equitable transfer of both TDM and cell/packet-based traffic.  Specific product plans have not yet been disclosed.  
  
• Ocular Networks was co-founded by Ed Kennedy, previously Vice President of Marketing at Alcatel’s Enterprise and Data Networks division, and Dr. Ron Fang, who previously managed Frame Relay and ATM product development at Bell Northern Research, the research arm of Nortel Networks.  

MITEL INVESTS IN OPTENIA FOR MUX/DEMUX COMPONENTS
Mitel Corporation has made an investment of an undisclosed amount in Optenia, a new company developing DWDM solutions.  Optenia pools financial, technological and human resources from Mitel and the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada, which previously collaborated on R&D that is the basis for Optenia’s technology.  The new company will be headed by Moris Simson, previously senior vice president, strategy and corporate development at Mitel.  Optenia is based in Kanata, Ontario.  http://www.mitel.com/bcs/bcsprod.nsf/Title/D1F0272199504093852569D500479F7F?opendocument   http://www.optenia.com/media.html
Optenia, January 15, 2001

• Optenia’s initial plans for photonic components and subsystems will be 40+ channel count multiplexers and demultiplexers.  Optenia’s aggregation/disaggregation method utilizes a monolithic planar grating technique that combines Silica on Silicon with Echelle Grating, a photonic etching technique. 

ALLOPTIC ANNOUNCES A GIGABIT ETHERNET PON
Alloptic, a start-up based in Pleasanton, California, introduced a Gigabit Ethernet passive optical networking system designed for Fiber-to-the-Business and Fiber-to-the-Curb (Curb ONU) applications.  The company plans to offer a central office chassis with a 16 Gbps bi-directional, non-blocking switch fabric capable of driving 1 Gbps downstream to the subscriber, and in excess of 800 Mbps traffic upstream.  The CO chassis will offer interfaces to GR-303 telephony, as well as 100/1000BaseT, DS-3 and OCx WAN ports.  Alloptic will offer a business optical network unit (ONU) for provisioning bandwidth in 64 Kbps increments up to 1 Gbps.  Release dates were not specified. http://www.alloptic.com
Alloptic, January 15, 2001

INTEL TO ACQUIRE XIRCOM FOR ITS SMALL-FORM-FACTOR PC CARDS
Intel agreed to acquire Xircom, a vendor of networking cards and other devices for notebook computers, for approximately $748 million in cash ($25 per XIRC share).  Intel said the acquisition would complement its existing desktop PC and server-based network access businesses.  http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20010115corp.htm
http://www.xircom.com
Intel, January 15, 2001

• Xircom products include USB-port expansion hubs, PC cards for 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, 56K modems, GSM and ISDN connections, a modem for the Handspring PDA and 802.11b Wireless Ethernet cards.  The company has also announced plans to develop Bluetooth and 3G wireless interconnection cards.
  
• Intel's acquisition price represents a 38% premium over Xircom's closing price last Friday.
  
• Separately, Xircom reported Q4 sales of $120.1 million, down from $124.1 million for the same period last year. Net income, excluding acquisition-related costs, was $0.2 million, or $.01 per share, compared to $15.3 million, or $.55 per share, for the same period last year.