Overview
Located in Silicon Valley, Optical Networks was founded in January 1998 by a team of optical technology and telecom engineers dedicated to developing the "true optical network" for metro carriers.
Data Explosion: Creating a Market Opportunity
The omnipresent Internet is enabling new applications and reaching new users every day. The circuit-switched public network infrastructure is continuously stretched to its limits in order to provide support for bandwidth hungry applications running at speeds set by Moore?s law. Built and engineered to handle telephone calls, the public networks barely support the current version of the Internet by stacking inefficient layers of equipment strung together by packet-based data links forced into static voice-like circuits.
With data demand increasing at an astonishing rate, Metro carriers recognize that they must provide the necessary data-optimized infrastructure and services to be competitive. At the same time, they are acutely aware that the current network infrastructure does not meet the requirements for today?s data-centric market.
Requirements of the Metro Carrier
In order to deliver a complete solution to the metro operator?s, today?s network solution must meet these key requirements: it must be data-centric, deliver dynamic provisioning, scalability, survivability, manageability, service transparency and capacity, at the lowest "first-cost".
Optical Networks? Strategy and Products
In April, 1999 the Company introduced its Dynamic Transport System? (DTS?) a solution that enables Metro Network Operators to deliver a wide range of Internet and other broadband services to enterprise networks and consumers. Offered at the industry?s lowest "first-cost", DTS integrates the three essential elements that enable a true optical metro network‘a next generation optical transport platform, an optical network operating system and an optical link management protocol suite for internetworking.
Optical Networks? DTS is composed of the ONLINE? 9000 optical transport platform, the OPTX? optical network operating system and the OLMP? optical link management protocol suite for internetworking. Easy to install and configure, the DTS provides data-centric wavelength-routed services with dynamic provisioning capabilities, scalability, service transparency, fast survivability (< 50ms recovery) and unprecedented manageability to Metro carriers.
In May 1999, Optical Networks announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Object-Mart, a leading provider of network management system and element management system solutions for Metro networks. The acquisition of Object-Mart reaffirms the Company?s commitment to deliver the most comprehensive operating system for the Metro network.
Funding
Optical Networks has raised $50 million in funding to-date. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Mohr, Davidow Ventures provided the first round of funding with $6.4 million. In 1998, Cisco Systems invested $4.4 million. In February 1999, the Company closed an additional round of financing, totaling $24 million led by Canaan Partners with Chase Capital, Comdisco Ventures, Invesco, Lehman Brothers, Silver Creek Technology Investors, and Sumitomo. In September 1999, Optical Networks raised another $15 million with Fidelity Ventures as the lead investor. |
