Pirelli launches new photonics business
Looking to capitalize more directly on the growing demand for high-bandwidth services in metro-access networks, the Pirelli Group (Milan, Italy) has established a new company that combines its existing photonics products with its broadband access business. The new business group, Pirelli Broadband Solutions, made its official debut at ECOC 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Much of the company’s initial focus will be on lower-cost metro-access products based upon a modular coarse wavelength-division-multiplexing (CWDM) platform. “Since its foundation, our company has established a strategy to develop low-cost and advanced optical solutions that will optimize the telecom operator’s network and eliminate bottlenecks in the metro access area,” said Mauro Sacchetto, CEO of Pirelli Broadband Solutions. “CWDM is one of the most promising technologies for deploying Internet protocol (IP)-based television, allowing telecoms to better manage the broadband traffic generated from services such as IPTV. CWDM technology is also both less complex and less expensive than the current dense WDM (DWDM) alternative.”
Fujitsu wins communication contract
Fujitsu Network Communications (Richardson, TX) announced that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power company in the United States, has awarded a federal contract to Fujitsu for a large optical communication network that links TVA main offices and key substation sites across seven states. The high-performance optical network will support a wide array of service types, including Gigabit Ethernet connections between routers, Fibre Channel connections between remote backup sites, and SONET/TDM connections that support Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
Meriton acquires Mahi
Meriton Networks (Ottawa, ON, Canada) announced the acquisition of Mahi Networks (Piscataway, NJ), uniting Meriton’s portfolio of high-speed optical networking systems with Mahi’s reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) solutions. According to the companies, the solution is designed to give network operators mission flexibility and operational simplicity with the lowest total cost of ownership.
Working Group formed for transponders
Optical communications companies Essex (Columbia, MD), Kodeos Communications (South Plainfield, NJ), and TeraSea (Rehovot, Israel) have formed the 10-Gbit/s Optical Duo-Binary, Multi-Source Working Group (ODB MSWG). The group’s objective is to develop a common specification for extended reach 10-Gbit/s transponder modules and will allow service providers and OEMs to contribute to a multisource forum while providing a mechanism that facilitates interoperability between participants.
KVH awarded $3.2 million order
In what they are calling a major milestone for the company, KVH Industries (Middletown, RI) has received a $3.2 million production order for its fiberoptic gyro (FOG)-based TG-6000 precision inertial measurement units (IMUs). Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems placed the order following extensive engineering and performance testing during 2004 and 2005. The TG-6000 will serve as a key component within the guidance system of the U.S. Navy’s next-generation MK54 lightweight torpedoes. If three follow-on options are exercised, the total order is potentially valued at more than $15.8 million between 2005 and 2009.
“The TG-6000 IMU is the most technically advanced guidance product that KVH has ever created and to have it selected for use in the MK54 torpedo is extraordinarily gratifying,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s president and CEO.
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Also in the news . . .
Nozomi Photonics (San Jose, CA), a supplier of high-speed optical switches, secured $8 million of funding led by Japanese investor Globis Capital Partners. . . . Sabeus (Calabasas, CA), developer of fiberoptic systems for acoustic sensing, intrusion detection, and surveillance applications, opened its newest production and R&D facility in Freeport, PA. . . . Wave7 Optics (Atlanta, GA) announced $18 million in additional funding to further develop its Last Mile Link and its next-generation fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) platform. . . . Capella Photonics (San Jose, CA), a developer of wavelength-selective switch (WSS) modules for use in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) and optical cross connect (OXC) applications, announced the closing of $10 million in its Series D financing round. . . . Energis has selected Xtera Communications (Allen, TX) as the multireach DWDM supplier for its next-generation backbone network in the United Kingdom. . . . Liekki (Lohja, Finland), a supplier of highly doped optical fibers, is launching the Liekki University Program to offer qualified undergraduate and graduate university programs efficient access to Liekki design and simulation software and fibers.