New Focus Unveils First Widely Tunable Laser for Long-Haul And
Ultra-Long-Haul Systems
PowerTune Delivers 20 Milliwatts of Optical Power Across the Entire C-band
Bringing Wavelength Agility to All Levels of the Telecom Network
SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- New Focus Inc., (NASDAQ:NUFO),
a leading supplier of innovative fiber optic products for next-generation
optical networks under the Smart Optics for Networks(TM) brand, announced
today the PowerTune(TM) tunable laser, the industry's first tunable laser with
the optical power levels required by the telecom backbone. PowerTune
technology is designed to deliver, for the first time, the full benefits of
wavelength agility to the entire optical network. The product will also serve
metropolitan network applications that require high power and tunability. New
Focus is scheduled to deliver PowerTune samples to its systems provider
customers in April, with production to start in late 2001.
"We're pleased to announce PowerTune, which builds on our many years of
experience with tunable lasers and our capabilities in the design and volume
manufacture of high performance optical components for the long-haul and
ultra-long-haul markets. Installation of PowerTune tunable lasers in the
telecom backbone will bring flexibility and efficiency to the network. End
users will realize rapid system deployment, more reliable service, enhanced
performance and reduced congestion problems," said Ken Westrick, New Focus
president and CEO.
PowerTune consists of a laser module that includes the high power laser,
wavelength locker, power control and other control functions along with
control electronics. Its unique patent pending technology delivers
20 Milliwatts (+13dBm) of power over the entire C-band enabling the use of
tunability in long-haul and ultra-long-haul networks.
"The bulk of optical networking systems sold today are for the long-haul
market, which demand high levels of optical power," said Elizabeth Bruce,
Research Analyst, Aberdeen Group. "Lasers offering both wide tunability and
high optical power will dramatically improve the efficiency and manageability
of these networks."
PowerTune's Key Benefits
-- Allows deployment of "universal transmitters" thereby easing logistics
problems throughout the network and reducing down-time
-- Enables remote provisioning of bandwidth leading to more rapid service
activation and quick recovery from network failures
-- Enables dynamic bandwidth reconfiguration as traffic patterns change
resulting in less congestion and better bandwidth utilization
PowerTune Technology
-- Designed to offer three to five times more power output than any other
widely tunable laser technology announced to date, enabling deployment
of wavelength agility anywhere in the network
-- Designed to deliver an optically pure signal that permits tightly
spaced channels (50GHz) and supports advanced signaling techniques
-- Features built-in wavelength locker, power level control, programmable
back reflection functions and control electronics, easing system design
and speeding time to market
New Focus has over 155,000 square feet of manufacturing space worldwide,
providing Telcordia(TM) compliant products to major DWDM's. PowerTune is being
tested throughout its development cycle to ensure that it conforms to
Telcordia reliability standards (Telcordia 468). |
