Wavelength division multiplexing declared a hot commodity
This year--1996--is "the year of WDM," proclaimed Herwig Kogelnik, director of the Lucent Technologies Photonics Research Laboratory at Bell Laboratories (Holmdel, NJ), at the Newport Conference on Fiberoptics Markets (Newport, RI). In his keynote speech, Kogelnik said, "Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is adding a new dimension to telecommunications, changing the way networks are designed, and creating a need for an array of new technology that includes lasers and WDM routers." The technology allows operators to fully exploit the installed base of fiber networks and build new networks that deliver trillions of bits per second. By multiplexing eight wavelengths, operators are reaching 20 Gbit/s over the installed fiber networks that were operating at 400 Mbit/s 10 years ago. Trans-Formation (Birmingham, AL), an independent research and consulting firm, recently published WDM Market Brief, which projects that the US market will increase from $80 million in 1996 to $330 million in 2000.