GLOBAL CROSSING WINS $137 MILLION DOD CONTRACT COVERING IP, ATM, MPLS AND WAVELENGTHS
Global Crossing was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide advanced wide area network services for its Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN).  Under the deal, Global Crossing will design, develop and manage a secure, virtual private network for DREN spanning the US, Puerto Rico, Guam and other US territories. The network will provide IP, ATM and state-of-the-industry wavelength services.  In addition, Global Crossing will allow DREN users to fully exploit its MPLS capabilities.  The contract has a three-year base with seven one-year options and is valued at $137 million with the potential to exceed $400 million over the contract life.  http://www.globalcrossing.com/pressreleases/pr_070901.htm
Global Crossing, July 9, 2001

EQUANT AND GLOBAL ONE COMPLETE MERGER
Equant and Global One completed their previously announced merger, creating a worldwide service provider focused on multinational business customers.  France Telecom holds approximately 54% of the new company.  Equant’s data network, which includes the infrastructure of the SITA network, reaches 220 countries and territories.  The company claims 3,700 large business customers, including nearly two-thirds of the world's top 100 companies.  SITA is the preferred bandwidth provider for the airline industry.  http://www.equant.com/content/xml/news_290601_pr.xml
Equant, July 9, 2001

• In May, Global One said it had signed over 60 multinational companies in the US, Europe, South America, and Asia for the MPLS-based IP VPN Service, which is currently available in over 40 countries with native MPLS access.
• In January 2000, France Telecom became the sole owner of Global One by acquiring Sprint's and Deutsche Telekom’s stakes in the company for a total equity value of $3.882 billion.  At the time, Global One operated a worldwide ATM-based network reaching more than 800 cities in over 40 countries. It had 1999 revenues of $1.1 billion.
• In September 2000, France Telecom selected Alcatel to design, build, install and maintain its DWDM network across North America.  Nortel Networks was selected to supply its 10 Gbps SONET transmission platforms.  Level 3 Communications will provide 15,000 route miles of long-haul fiber.  The installation will cover 28 points of presence and 270 intermediary sites across the continent.  Commercial services over the backbone will be offered under the Global One organization.
• In November 2000, France Telecom and Amsterdam-based Equant announced their agreement to merge Equant and Global One.

FTTH COUNCIL AIMS TO ACCELERATE DEPLOYMENT OF FIBER-TO-THE-HOME
A group of leading equipment vendors and service providers announced the formation of a new Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council aimed at accelerating the deployment of fiber-to-the-home in North America.  Participants include Adesta Communications, AFL Telecommunications, Alcatel, American Power Conversion, Atlantic Engineering Group, CopperCom, Corning, Financial Strategies Group, iWired, Lightwaves Communications Systems, Network Telco, Nexans, Optical Solutions, Pirelli Communications Cables & Systems, SAIC, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, Team Fishel, Wave7 Optics and World Wide Packets.  http://www.opticalsolutions.com/main.shtml
Optical Solutions, July 9, 2001

CALIENT AND DATA CONNECTION DEVELOP GMPLS PROTOCOL SOFTWARE
Calient Networks, a start-up developing all-optical switching systems, and Data Connection Limited (DCL) announced an IETF standards-compliant GMPLS software stack for photonically-switched networks.  DCL produced the GMPLS signaling software code and Calient Networks developed the routing, connection control and LMP (Link Management Protocol) code to operate on its photonic switching system.  Calient said it has completed interoperability testing with a gigabit router, DWDM systems and optical switching/grooming platforms, in anticipation of product release to service providers during the second half of this year.  http://www.calient.net/news/news_7_9_firsttomarket.html
Calient Networks, July 9, 2001

LUCENT LANDS $90 MILLION DWDM CONTRACT WITH TYCOM GLOBAL NETWORK
Lucent Technologies was awarded a one-year, $90 million contract to supply its WaveStar OLS 800G system for the TyCom Global Network.  The equipment is expected to be deployed by Q3 2002 in TGN's West Coast routes in the US and in routes in Japan and southern Europe.  The 800G system can provide up to eighty 10 Gbps wavelengths.  http://www.lucent.com/press/0701/010709.nsa.html
Lucent Technologies, July 9, 2001

• Last month, the transatlantic segment of the TyCom Global Network entered its final testing phase and began carrying multiple 10 Gbps wavelengths of traffic.
• In May, TyCom selected CIENA’s CoreDirector and MultiWave CoreStream optical switching and transport systems for its new global network.  The CIENA equipment would be used as an intelligent platform for automated service provisioning, dynamic protection and restoration on integrated long-haul and ultra long-haul routes reaching all six inhabited continents.  Phase one plans call for deployment in the Transatlantic and Northern Europe systems of the TyCom Global Network. Initial orders were valued at more than $150 million.
• In April, TyCom and FLAG Telecom agreed to join their previously announced transpacific network projects in a shared development arrangement that will result in a single, undersea cable system.

CISCO ENHANCES ITS LONG-HAUL DWDM SYSTEM
Cisco Systems introduced new Out-of-Band Forward Error Correction (FEC) and L-Band transmission capabilities for its ONS 15800 Series Long-Haul DWDM platform, which is now capable of carrying up to 64 OC-192 (10 Gbps) channels per fiber.  The Out-of-Band FEC permits increased distances between spans by compensating for signal noise caused by dispersion, attenuation, and modulation.  The company said it has now shipped more 3,000 10 Gbps DWDM channels shipped to date.  http://www.cisco.com
Cisco Systems, July 9, 2001

PROXIMION DEBUTS INTEGRATED OPTICAL PERFORMANCE AND CHANNEL MONITOR
Proximion Fiber Optics, a start-up based in Kista, Sweden, introduced an optically embedded system for monitoring and analyzing the performance of individual wavelength channels.  Proximion's WISTOM platform, which functions as an embedded spectrometer, combines the fast detection characteristics of a channel monitor (less than 10ms) with the ability to simultaneously diagnose the spectrum of the entire band in a DWDM network.  The platform monitors individual channels for deviations from the optical specification, such as degradation from lasers or gain amplifiers, enabling the network to reconfigure itself before dropping any traffic.  The core monitoring technology is based on Fiber Bragg Gratings.  Proximion’s platform is targeted at optical system vendors.  The company said the trend towards all-optical networks forces traditional protocol-based monitoring toward the edge of the network, effectively creating a blind spot within the all-optical domain.  http://www.proximion.com
Proximion, July 9, 2001

• Proximion is a spin-off from Sweden’s ACREO, previously named the Institute of Optical Research.  The company was founded in 1998 by Dr. Raoul Stubbe, Dr. Adel Asseh and Bengt Sahlgren.

QUANTUM BRIDGE INTRODUCES 622 MBPS PON SOLUTION
Quantum Bridge Communications introduced a 622 Mbps, environmentally hardened system supporting symmetrical data rates of 622 Mbps over a Passive Optical Network (PON).  The device can be configured to serve as a universal optical access feeder either on a customer premises or in outside plant enclosures.  Applications could include traffic backhaul to a central office from up to 32 neighborhood gateway enclosures each of which is equipped with a remote DSLAM.  The symmetrical 622 Mbps PON can also be used to deliver DS1 voice and private line and Ethernet data services from 64 Kbps to 622 Mbps directly to fiber served business customers.  Availability is expected in Q4.  http://www.quantumbridge.com/pr070901.html
Quantum Bridge, July 9, 2001

• Comcast Business Communications (CBC) recently activated Quantum Bridge’s Passive Optical Network (PON) products to carry live customer traffic in its Baltimore network.  The deployment is expected to expand with similar PON build-outs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Michigan later this year.

KOREA THRUNET TOPS ONE MILLION BROADBAND INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS
Korea Thrunet, the country’s largest cable modem broadband Internet-access services provider, reported a total of 1,050,807 broadband Internet subscribers as of the end of June.  The company added 40,112 new accounts for the month, which was down slightly from earlier months due to the curtailment of certain regional promotions and the company's recognition of service terminations for delinquent accounts.  Korea Thrunet said it anticipates continued growth in its subscriber base, but that it is now focused on customer retention and customer satisfaction programs.  http://www.thrunet.com
Korea Thrunet, July 9, 2001

WILDBLUE TARGETS 3 MBPS DOWNLOADS USING SATELLITE OPTIMIZED PROTOCOLS
WildBlue Communications is planning to offer download speeds of 3 Mbps via its forthcoming two-way, Ka-band satellite Internet access service.  The network will use satellite-optimized protocols, rather than straight IP, to address the long latency, asymmetric bandwidth, and high loss conditions typical of satellite links.  Mentat, a Los Angeles-based developer, will provide the protocol software.  WildBlue's satellite modems will integrate the satellite protocols without requiring additional end-user configuration.  The company hopes to begin rolling out its service in 2002 in the contiguous US, followed by an expansion to Canada and Latin America.  http://www.wildblue.com/  http://www.mentat.com/
WildBlue Communications, July 9, 2001

• WildBlue, which was originally known as iSKY, plans to offer download speeds of 3.0 Mbps and up to 400 Kbps upstream.  A first satellite (built by Space Systems/Loral) serving the US and Canada is expected to launch in early 2002.  A second satellite (TeleSat's ANIK F2 satellite, built by Hughes) serving both North America and Latin America will launch shortly thereafter.  IBM and TRW are jointly defining systems requirements for WildBlue’s network operations center (NOC).  Andrew Corporation is building six gateway earth stations, which will transmit and receive data to/from the satellites and convert them into IP data packets.  Users would require a satellite mini-dish and a satellite cable modem to access the service.
• The Ka-band is a frequency that operates at 20 to 30 GHz.  WildBlue's Ka band satellite spot beam design allows a large degree of frequency reuse (i.e. multiple spot beams can re-use the same frequency to transmit different data to the geographically separated gateway earth stations).
• The WildBlue service will be marketed in partnership with Echostar's satellite TV service.  Echostar holds a 12% equity stake in WildBlue.  Additional investors include Liberty Media Group, TV Guide, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, TRW and TeleSat.

VIPSWITCH AND ALLOPTIC ALLIANCE TARGETS GIGABIT ETHERNET METRO SERVICES
VIPswitch, a start-up developing terabit switch/routers, formed an alliance with Alloptic, a developer of Gigabit Ethernet PON equipment for fiber to the business and fiber to the curb applications. The Gigabit Ethernet optical access system would be optimize by the VIPswitch routers to carry Gigabit Ethernet optical access system.  A joint solution will be marketed to metro Ethernet service providers.  http://www.vipswitch.com/
VIPswitch, July 9, 2001

AURA NETWORKS CHANGES NAME TO METROBILITY OPTICAL SYSTEMS
Aura Networks, a developer of a metropolitan optical Ethernet system based on a unique “IP Stealth” protocol, changed its name to METRObility Optical Systems.  The company offers solutions for copper-to-fiber and fiber-to-fiber connectivity and distance extension for a full range of Ethernet speeds (10 Mbps through Gigabit Ethernet), as well as SONET, OC3 and OC12.  METRObility is based in Merrimack, New Hampshire.  http://www.metrobility.com
METRObility Optical Systems, July 9, 2001

• METRObility’s IP Stealth protocol leverages an Ethernet inter-frame coding technique that takes advantage of the 12-byte Inter-Packet Gap to create a quasi-inband management channel.  The Stealth IP protocol is a fixed length packet of 6 bytes, which is used to issue commands or gather statistics. It is a stateless protocol, with all command/control contained in a single packet.  The Stealth IP packet remains invisible to OSI Layers 2 and above, and because of its 6 byte size it has a higher tolerance to signal noise than traditional SNMP packets.  Stealth IP could be used for dynamic bandwidth allocation, bandwidth usage statistics, loopback testing, power and bit error rate monitoring.  The company also offers products capable of extending single mode optical Ethernet up to 200km for 100 Mbps connections and up to 70km for Gigabit Ethernet connections.

LUXCORE SHIFTS STRATEGY TO FOCUS ON COMPONENTS RATHER THAN SYSTEMS
Luxcore Networks, a start-up based in Atlanta, Georgia, changed its strategic direction to focus on all-optical wavelength conversion subsystems.  The company had previously disclosed plans for its own line of optical internetworking systems for directing voice, data and video traffic across fiber networks entirely in the optical domain without the need for electrical regeneration.  Luxcore’s OEM product plans will now include OC-48, OC-192 and OC-768-ready, all-optical wavelength conversion transponder units, and optical performance monitoring technology.  http://www.luxcore.com
Luxcore Networks, July 9, 2001

CORNING ANNOUNCES FURTHER DOWNSIZING, $5.1 BILLION IN CHARGES
Citing the severely reduced market demand for photonic components and modules, Corning will close three manufacturing facilities and layoff 1000 employees.  This will bring Corning's total 2001 reductions to 5,900 positions or about 15% of its’ total global workforce of approximately 40,000.  Corning also plans to take $5.1 billion in pre-tax charges to reflect the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets related to recent acquisitions and the write-off of excess and obsolete inventory.  The company expects that the market downturn could last 12 to 18 months.  http://www.corning.com/inside_corning/news__media/press_releases/2001/010709_downsize.asp
Corning, July 9, 2001