NORTEL NETWORKS LAUNCHES ITS NEXT GENERATION OPTICAL SOLUTIONS
Nortel Networks unveiled its next wave of optical networking equipment, including:

• A long-haul optical transmission platform supporting 40 and 80 Gbps rates
• An optical switch supporting 40 Gbps services
• A MEMS-based tunable laser for 40 Gbps platforms, and
• A multi-layer software solution that enables dynamic delivery of optical services.

The OPTera Long Haul 5000 DWDM platform will support up to 160 wavelengths at 40 Gbps over 1,000+ km.  The system will be optimized for 104 wavelengths at 40 Gbps over 1,200 km.

The OPTera Connect HDX optical switch will support 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps interfaces and scale from 3.84 Tbps to 40 Tbps in aggregate capacity.

The MEMS-based tunable laser, which is entering lab trials, could be used to isolate, route and manage individual wavelengths.  The device employs microscopic mirrors and allows continuous tuning to any wavelength in the C or L band.

The OPTera Smart OS embedded intelligent software will be distributed across all optical network elements to create a seamless, dynamic control plane based on the emerging open global ASTN (Automatic Switched Transport Network) and GMPLS (generalized multi-protocol label switching) standards.   Features will include auto-discovery, built-in planning and engineering tools, wavelength optimization, dynamic class of service connections and flexible restoration schemes.  OPTera Smart Agent software would enable third-party ‘network attached’ devices operating at Layer 2 or higher to become clients of the smart optical network to enhance delivered applications.  http://www.nortelnetworks.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2001a/03_19_0101139_optera_lh5000.html
Nortel Networks, March 19, 2001

• The emerging G.ASTN (Automated Switched Transport Networks) standard is under review in the ITU for multi-vendor and multi-carrier networks.  The emerging GMPLS standard is being developed to provide dynamic optical routing and signaling.

DOMINION TELECOM RAISES $516 MILLION FOR NETWORK ROLLOUT
Dominion Telecom, which is backed by Dominion, one of the largest producers of energy in the US, raised $516 million in cash and private placement of debt to fund the build-out of its network.  Through the financing, Dominion continues to own a majority interest in Dominion Telecom, while a third-party investment trust takes ownership of the remaining equity.  http://www.dominiontel.com
Dominion Telecom, March 19, 2001

• Dominion, one of the largest producers of energy in the US with extensive assets in oil, natural gas and electricity, has 7,600 miles of inter-state natural gas pipeline.  Dominion Telecom is expanding its current 35,000 fiber miles (3,600 route miles) to more than 800,000 fiber miles (9,000 route miles).  The carrier has previously announced fiber leases with Level3, Williams and Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN). 
• Dominion Telecom is deploying Alcatel's 80-channel DWDM platform.

VERIZON WIRELESS AWARDS $5 BILLION CONTRACT TO LUCENT
Verizon Wireless awarded a three-year, $5 billion contract to Lucent Technologies for third-generation (3G) mobile network infrastructure.  Deployment of Verizon's first phase of 3G technology, known as cdma2000 3G1XRTT, will begin later this year, effectively doubling the existing network's voice capacity and increasing data-transmission speeds by nearly ten times.  Verizon's network will also include products from Lucent's 3G-ready Flexent family of mobile switching centers and base stations, softswitch-based access and transport systems for IP and ATM applications.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0301/010319.nsa.html
Lucent Technologies, March 19, 2001

TELICA ENHANCES MULTI-SERVICE SWITCHING PLATFORM, ANNOUNCES KEY CUSTOMER
Telica, a start-up based in Marlboro, Mass., added voice packet telephony capabilities to its Plexus 9000 platform, enabling the next generation switch to serve as both a Class 4 and Class 5 switch for PSTN and packet-based networks.  When deployed as a Class 4 or Class 5 switch, the Plexus 9000 can be seamlessly interconnected to several TDM-based switches with all of the functionality needed to successfully complete a voice call, including SS7 and ISDN signaling, call routing, resource management, and LNP query.  Additional services such as Caller Name Delivery, E-911 and E-800 are also provided.  The solution supports 80,640 fully protected TDM ports or over 18,000 fully protected VoP calls per shelf.  It also supports a migration to Voice over ATM (VoATM) or Voice over IP (VoIP), offering support for SIP-T as well as MEGACO, and SCTP/M3UA.

KMC Telecom, a facilities-based CLEC headquartered in New Jersey, selected Telica's Plexus 9000 to provide PRI delivery today and to offer voice packet services in the future.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  http://www.telica.com
Telica, March 19, 2001

• Key features of the Telica Plexus 9000 platform include a 15 Gbps switching fabric (with a latency of 1.2 ms); integrated SS7 signaling, call control and switching; Class 4/5 baseline features; transport and protocol transparency (IMT, SS7, ISDN PRI, ATM and IP); hot-swappable components and fault-tolerant software and firmware; and a high-density footprint (180,000+ protected DS-0's per rack).  In ILEC networks, the platform could be located beside or behind a Class 5 switch within an end office to perform voice and data service optimization.  CLECs could place it in a central office co-location cage to serve as a Class 5 substitute, performing full termination and switching of data calls.
• Telica was co-founded by John St. Amand and Charles (Chuck) Bates, both formerly with Dynamics Research Corporation (DRC).
• Last July, KMC Telecom raised $182 million of private equity from Lucent Technologies, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson Private Equity Partners, CIT Lending Services, Nassau Capital Partners and Hal Kamine (its founder) for rollout of its network.

AVAIL NETWORKS AND TDSOFT ANNOUNCE INTEROPERABLE VOICE-OVER-BROADBAND
Avail Networks and Tdsoft certified interoperability between Avail's Frontera Integrated Concentration Devices (ICDs) and Tdsoft's VoNGATE voice access gateway.  Avail's Frontera platform combines key features of compact DSLAMs, IADs, and ATM switches.  Tdsoft's VoNGATE voice access gateway offloads ATM, IP and TDM voice over DSL traffic to a central office switch using V5.2, GR-303, TR 008, CAS or proprietary voice switch interfaces.  http://www.tdsoft.com/news/news.html  http://www.availnetworks.com/home.html
Tdsoft, March 19, 2001

• Avail Networks is a start-up based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The company was founded by former employees of Cabletron Systems’ Network Express division.

MARCONI CREATES OPTICAL COMPONENTS GROUP
Marconi created an Optical Components group with over 300 Marconi engineers and researchers to develop photonic devices for next generation applications.  Marconi Optical Components' product portfolio already includes wide tuning range and high power tunable lasers; Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) based 10Gbps and 40Gbps modulators; and Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFA).  The group also plans to introduce a "Terabit Engine" providing highly integrated optical functionality on a single, monolithic GaAs chip.  The device would combine a laser source with all modulation functions, waveguiding and other passive elements, and a variable optical attenuator (VOA).  At OFC, Marconi will show a fully integrated ultra long haul photonic transmitter, incorporating a discrete laser packaged with a 3-function modulator (data, phase and amplitude) and VOA.  http://www.marconi.com/html/news/marconiopticalcomponentsprovideopticalnetworkssolutions.htm
Marconi, March 19, 2001

ALCATEL UNVEILS ITS LATEST OPTICAL INNOVATIONS
At the Optical Fiber Conference in Anaheim, California, Alcatel Optronics:

• Introduced a 40 Gbps Indium Phosphide-based external modulator designed for metro and long-haul transmission systems.  The unit's wide bandwidth, greater than 40 GHz, allows access to in-line bits going up to 48 Gbps (necessary for forward error control).
• Expanded its Raman amplification product portfolio to include devices ranging from pump modules at 300 mW, multi-pump modules at 800 mW and optical amplifier subsystems.
• Introduced a new 10 Gbps WDM optical interface for metro applications, and
• Added a new optical add/drop multiplexer based on Fiber Bragg Grating technology.

http://www.alcatel.com
Alcatel, March 19, 2001

TELLIUM DELIVERS ITS SOFTWARE FOR INTELLIGENT OPTICAL MESH NETWORKS
Tellium, a start-up developing optical crossconnects, delivered its StarNet Software Suite for creating, optimizing, running, controlling and provisioning optical networks to Qwest Communications.  The software provides dynamic simulation and visualization of restoration and provisioning events and performance, and the ability to analyze dynamic failures and `what-if' scenarios.  Carriers could use the capabilities with Tellium's 512-port Aurora Optical Switch to allocate diverse classes of protection services per light-path across mesh architectures, ensuring ring-like restoration performance while replacing or reducing SONET add/drop multiplexers.  http://www.tellium.com
Tellium, March 19, 2001

• In September, Tellium announced multiple-year contracts to supply its core optical switches to Qwest Communications and Cable & Wireless.  Its second generation Aurora optical cross connect has also been shipped to Extant, a facilities-based company providing carrier transport services.

CISCO INTRODUCES ONS 15200 METRO DWDM SERIES
Cisco Systems introduced its ONS 15200 product series designed for extending wavelengths from metro DWDM networks to client buildings.  The product series consists of three evolutionary platforms:  a multichannel unit (the ONS 15252) and a single channel unit (the ONS 15201) that deliver wavelength services such as Gigabit Ethernet and OC-48 Packet Over SONET (POS) in a one-rack unit platform; a third platform (the ONS 15216) provides optical filtering, optical add-drop multiplexing (OADM) to exchange wavelengths on SONET/SDH spans, optical performance monitoring (OPM), and amplification to reach up to 400 km.  Touch America Colorado will be the first to deploy the ONS 15200 products, in conjunction with Cisco's ONS 15454 Optical Transport Platform and ONS 15327 Metro Edge Optical Transport Platform.  http://newsroom.cisco.com
Cisco Systems, March 19, 2001

CISCO'S DPT RESILIENT PACKET RING SHIPMENTS REACH 10K PORTS
Cisco Systems has now shipped 10,000 ports of its "Dynamic Packet Transport" resilient packet ring (RPR) solution.  Cisco's DPT family of products includes line cards for the Cisco 7200 and 7500 series routers, the Cisco 12000 and 12400 series Internet routers, the ONS 15190 IP transport concentrator and the ONS 15104 IP-manageable Optical Regenerator.  http://newsroom.cisco.com
Cisco Systems, March 19, 2001

LUCENT SPINS-OFF ARALIGHT, TARGETING 500 GBPS OPTO-ELECTRONIC INTERCONNECT DEVICES
Lucent Technologies formed a new venture called AraLight to commercialize high-bandwidth, ultra-dense optoelectronic modules designed for short-reach interconnects between IP switching/routing equipment.  AraLight researchers have already demonstrated devices with over 500 Gbps throughput on a single chip module.  The device integrates photonic components made with gallium arsenide, such as vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), modulators, and detectors, with silicon integrated circuits containing millions of transistors.  AraLight has received $10 million from Signal Lake Ventures, Ridgewood Capital, and Solar Venture Partners.  AraLight is based in Monroe Township, New Jersey.  http://www.aralight.com/ 
AraLight, March 19, 2001

• AraLight's technical team is headed by Dr. Ashok Krishnamoorthy, who led pioneering research and development in the field of optoelectronic VLSI circuit design for eight years at Bell Labs.  The company is headed by Michael Camp, previously CEO of Tech-Sym and CEO of Tangram Systems.

KYMATA APPOINTS CEO
Kymata Ltd., a developer of planar optical components and subsystems, named Mike Hickey as its new CEO.  Hickey previously served as Kymata's COO and interim CEO, following the resignation of Brendan Hyland in January.  http://www.kymata.com/
Kymata, March 19, 2001

• Kymata's portfolio includes 40-Channel Arrayed Waveguide Gratings, Variable Optical Attenuators, Thermo-Optic Switches and Optical Wavelength Power Monitors, which integrate a 40-channel AWG and an array of photo detectors. The integrated optical components use a silica-on-silicon process technology.  Kymata is based in Livingston, Scotland. 
• In November, IBM and Kymata announced a multi-year agreement to jointly develop optical networking chips using IBM's unique siliconoxynitride (SiON) process technology and pump laser technology.  Kymata and IBM plan to develop optical modules with enhanced functionality for filtering wavelengths of light beams sent through a fiber simultaneously; filters used to balance the intensity of light at different wavelengths; and versatile optical switches.  Sampling is expected to begin in the first half of 2001. As part of this strategic relationship, IBM has acquired a minority equity stake in Kymata.
• Last October, Kymata secured an additional $67 million in funding, which includes asset financing, a venture loan and additional equity fundraising.  The company has raised $162 million over the past two years.

ONIX SECURES $70 MILLION FOR OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT SWITCHING
Onix Microsystems, a start-up based in Richmond, California, secured $70 million in third round equity and debt financing.  Onix is developing a fully configurable, bi-directional, non-blocking, protocol independent optical switch based on MEMS technology.  The company's first product will be an 8x8 switch.  Investors include JK&B Capital, Alliance Select Investors, Essex Private Placement Fund, Millennium Technology Ventures, Randolph Street Partners, Sinwave Venture Capital Limited, Trust Company of the West, Zimmer Lucas Partners, Bank of America Venture Partners, Advanced Technology Ventures, Azure Capital Partners and Analog Devices.  http://www.onixmicrosystems.com/ 
Onix Microsystems, March 19, 2001