Now could somebody please explain to me what Tlab actually does for a living? I've read the Ann Rept, and listened to the conference call, and have been very much enjoying making lots of dough the last few months. And it all seems to be going strong and all.
But really, I was hoping to understand this thing I own.
OK, I know they make these big deal telecom equipment Digital Interconnects., There's a US market version called Titan 5500, and a European and rest of the world version called Martis DXX. That one seems to have something to do with their Finnish acquisition a while back. And they have a small sideline in echo suppression technology (ok, I think I get that) which their Coherent acquisition will beef up, especially for Europe. And they're working on equipment to let cable systems also become phone networks (that I can get my arms around, sort of). And they have this leading edge research going on re: greatly expanding fiber optic carrying capacity, by sending info in different colors (i.e. at different wavelengths) at the same time, and then properly descrambling it all at the other end. (Kinda get that too, I think.)
I guess the big problem is I just don't understand how the phone networks work. OK, you have lines, and concentrators and fat fiber lines (plus satellites), and a whole bunch of switches. But I'm hoping to get a bit further along than that. Without studying the subject for a semester either.
Now I don't really know how a computer works either, though I have played around with them for fun, and used them for work, for a number of years. I sorta get the overall architecture and understand some of the key components, as well as who is big in making them, etc.
No so for the phone network. So what are these digital interconnects, anyway? Switches? The telecom network seems to have lots of different kinds of switches. And doen't the data networkers also make switches? But those are different kinds, right? For data.
So what Tellabs makes are big, high capacity switches? Just for voice, or also for data? What makes Tlabs' so good. Where does LU fit in? Where is LU strongest, and weakest, since I guess it is pretty clear it is the dominant overall player.
I guess what I'm really looking for is a good, Scientific American level single article that gives me an overview on the phone network architectures, as they exist RIGHT NOW (and not five years ago), in both their legacy and new directions incarnations. (Except I'd hope to the commercial players' stakes and strengths and weaknesses discussed, which isn't the usual Scientific American approach.
Wouldn't mind a bit of how the Internet is intertwined into the whole thing explained as well.
OK, so maybe I have to read SEVERAL Scientific American articles.
Now is there ANYBODY who can help point me in the right direction??? Get me started, at least?
I know I'm not asking much. <gg>
Doug |
