Lucent Technologies Announces Breakthrough Optical Networking System That
Delivers High-Speed Data Networking Through the Air
MURRAY HILL, N.J., Jul 14, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE via COMTEX) --
B: (COMTEX)
Global Crossing will be first to test
Using beams of light to transmit information directly through the
air, a breakthrough optical networking system from Lucent Technologies
(NYSE:LU) will dramatically boost the capacity of local data networks
and extend the reach of today's high-capacity fiber-optic systems.
Lucent's new WaveStar(TM) OpticAir(TM) system will use state-of-the-art
lasers, amplifiers and receivers that can be placed on rooftops or in
office windows to transmit voice, data or video traffic from point to
point through the air. Designed by Bell Labs, the WaveStar OpticAir
system will use dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) technology to
increase network capacity in metropolitan areas and campus environments
where cost, geography or other constraints may make fiber connections
impractical.
Global Crossing will be first to test the system -- conducting field
trials byDecember.
The first system to use DWDM technology directly through the air,
Lucent's WaveStar OpticAir system eventually will enable business
customers and service providers to transmit up to 10 gigabits (billion
bits) per second (Gb/s) of information between locations. At this rate,
customers will be able to transmit the data contained on 15 CD ROMs
through the air in less than a second. That's 65 times more information
than with today's radio frequencies.
"Lucent is committed to providing our customers with cutting-edge metro
optical networking solutions -- bringing photons not only to the
desktop, but to rooftops, windows and ships at sea," said Gerry
Butters, president of Lucent's Optical Networking Group. "By adding
this breakthrough technology to our industry-leading portfolio, Lucent
soon will be able to provide the power of fiber-optics just about
anywhere -- with or without the fiber."
Capable of handling any form of network traffic (voice, data, video,
etc.), DWDM allows carriers to increase capacity by simultaneously
transmitting different wavelengths -- or colors -- of light, each
carrying distinct streams of information.
Unparalleled bandwidth will break through local bottlenecks, open
newmarkets
"Once again, Lucent is extending the bandwidth-expanding power of
photons to local networks," said Wally Dawson, Senior Vice President at
Global Crossing Development Ltd. "If our testing of the product meets
expectations, it could offer a breakthrough method to help our global
customers bypass local bottlenecks and offer leading-edge services.
Based on projections, no one else is even approaching the amount of
bandwidth that Lucent will bring to this exciting new market."
Potential applications for the WaveStar OpticAir system include
transmitting data between high-rise office buildings, enabling naval
ships to share huge amounts of information while in port, and
establishing temporary, high-capacity data links for special events.
"This high-capacity technology will give Lucent another optical
solution to complement our fiber-based systems and our
broadband-wireless-access offerings," said Butters. "We set out to
bring the power of photons to network environments where deploying
fiber is just not practical. And WaveStar OpticAir fits that niche."
In certain applications, the WaveStar OpticAir system could be used in
conjunction with Lucent's SYSTIMAX(R) Structured Connectivity Solution
(SCS) to provide enterprise customers with ultra-reliable, high-speed
data networks in campus and business environments. SYSTIMAX SCS is
Lucent's industry-leading in-building wiring solution.
New system is environmentally safe, highly reliable, modular in design
Unlike the tiny, high-density streams of light emitted by laser
pointers, Lucent's WaveStar OpticAir system will use "expanded-beam"
lasers that meet all applicable environmental safety requirements.
Like other open-air transmission systems -- such as wireless -- the
WaveStar OpticAir system will meet industry standards for performance
and reliability.
Implementing WaveStar OpticAir requires no spectrum licenses, and the
system is easily upgradeable. Its modular design will enable carriers
to grow their networks as capacity requirements rise, and open
interfaces supporting equipment from a variety of vendors will help
carriers protect the investment of their embedded infrastructures.
Lucent is bringing this product from concept to market in just 18
months. The first release of Lucent's WaveStar OpticAir system,
supporting one wavelength at speeds up to 2.5 Gb/s, is expected to be
commercially available by March 2000. A four-wavelength system with a
maximum capacity of 10 Gb/s for distances up to five kilometers is
expected to be commercially available in the summer of 2000.
Building on Bell Labs' optical networking leadership
With more than 2,400 systems installed worldwide, Lucent is the
global leader in DWDM technology. According to KMI Corp., a leading
market research firm, Lucent has the largest share -- 29 percent -- of
the $2.2 billion global DWDM equipment market.
The WaveStar OpticAir system will use patent-pending technology. Bell
Labs, which has garnered more than 2,000 patents in optical technology
alone, has been designing networks for 75 years -- yet the pace of Bell
Labs innovation has never been faster. In 1993, Lucent's TrueWave(R)
fiber was the first fiber specifically designed for high-capacity DWDM
networks. In 1998, Lucent was first to market with an 80-channel DWDM
system, which can transmit up to 400 Gb/s of information over a single
fiber. For more information about Lucent's Optical Networking Group,
please visit its Web site athttp://www.lucent-optical.com.
Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public
and private networks, communications systems and software, data
networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronics
components. Bell Laboratories is the research and development arm of
the company. For more information about Lucent Technologies, visit its
Web site at lucent.com.
Note to Editors:
Lucent is hosting a media conference call concerning this
announcement. Wednesday, July 14, at 12 Noon Eastern Time.
Inside the U.S., Dial-in Number: 800-288-8960
Outside the U.S., Dial-in Number: 612-332-1214
Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
-0-
CONTACT: Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill
Mary Ward, 908/582-7658
Cell phone: 908/565-1716
E-mail: maryward@lucent.com
or
Frank Briamonte, 908/559-5692
Pager: 800-607-9849
E-mail: fbriamonte@lucent.com
WEB PAGE: businesswire.com
GEOGRAPHY: NEW JERSEY
INDUSTRY CODE: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET
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