Kevin, Don, Bernard, and All, in case you are interested, there are two new optical plays (CTC and Silk Road Inc.) discussed in an article over in the Silk Road Thread.
Each of these startups are now offering what they claim is a viable, if not superior, alternative to DWDM.
The article, titled "Forks in the Optical Road," from America's Network Magazine, is posted at:
Message 7432235
I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say about each. Hope to see you and other TERN followers there soon.
Best Regards, Frank Coluccio
=========================================excerpts begin:
Commercial Technologies Corp
Approach: O-CDMA (Optical CDMA)
>>At Supercomm '98, Commercial Technologies Corp. (CTC; Culver City, Calif.) introduced optical code division multiple access (O-CDMA; see "Bar-coding fiber," July 1, 1998). Like DWDM, CTC's CodeStream O-CDMA system places multiple transmissions on a single fiber, but it does so using a single optical source rather than using a laser for each wavelength, as DWDM requires. Instead, O-CDMA transmitters bar code and modulate multiple signals onto a single fiber; receivers with corresponding bar codes peel signals off at the appropriate endpoint.
This month, CTC will deliver its first product, a 16-channel system, to two IXCs and two CLECs (both U.S. based) for lab and field beta testing, according to CTC's chief operating officer, William Johnson. A major video provider also will test the system.
---------------------------------------
SILK ROAD:
Approach: SRSC (SilkRoad Refractive Synchronization Communication)
>>Calling Marco Polo: Last quarter, SilkRoad Inc. (San Diego) introduced an alternative called SilkRoad Refractive Synchronization Communication (SRSC).
The company's moniker refers to the ancient eastern trade routes used by Marco Polo to transport silk and other items of wealth between Europe and the East.
SilkRoad's goal is to help carriers transport a wealth of information across their existing and planned optical networks. Unlike DWDM, SRSC uses a single wavelength to send up to 200 Gbps of information through a single fiber today. The system has the potential to reach speeds of 10 Tbps (terabits per second), which is the capacity of fiber itself, according to Bob Freeman, vice president of operations at SilkRoad.
=============================================excerpts end |
