Lucent Technologies Unveils World's
Fastest Single-Laser Optical Transmission
System
MCI WorldCom Will Be First to Test Lucent's WaveStar(TM) 40G Express,
Which Is Four Times Faster Than Today's Commercial Systems
MURRAY HILL, N.J., March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucent Technologies today announced that
MCI WorldCom will be the first carrier to test its new WaveStar(TM) 40G Express -- the
world's fastest single-laser optical transmission system. It will be the first commercial system
capable of delivering 40 gigabits per second (Gb/s) of capacity with a single laser over a single
wavelength on a single fiber-optic cable, making it four times faster than today's commercially
available single-laser systems (which support a maximum capacity of 10 Gb/s).
Lucent's 40 Gb/s Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology enables the WaveStar 40G
Express to transmit the equivalent of 500,000 simultaneous phone calls per second over a single
wavelength. This will enable service providers to offer cost-effective data networking,
dramatically faster Internet access and other advanced telecommunications services.
Successful technology trial leads to industry-changing product
A leader in the deployment of very-high-capacity fiber-optic transmission systems, MCI
WorldCom recently hosted early lab system trials of Lucent's 40 Gb/s TDM technology in its
Richardson, Texas, network technology laboratories. The trials produced carrier-quality
transmission and focused on the performance of this high-speed technology over standard fiber
and through optical switching systems at distances up to 100 kilometers. Lucent will deliver its
WaveStar 40G Express to MCI WorldCom for commercial testing by the fourth calendar quarter
of 1999.
''With the need for bandwidth rising at exponential rates, MCI WorldCom has been in the
forefront of pushing optical networking and fiber-optic technology to its limits,'' said Fred M.
Briggs, MCI WorldCom chief technology officer. ''Forty gigabits on a single wavelength will
allow us to scale to multiple terabits of capacity per fiber as we continue to offer our customers
cost-effective, leading-edge communications services. Based on the positive results of the
technology trial, we look forward to in-depth testing of Lucent's WaveStar 40G Express and
other 40G products.''
The WaveStar 40G Express allows communications providers to reduce central office space
requirements by up to 75 percent by providing the capacity of four 10 Gb/s systems in one bay of
equipment, rather than four. In addition, it requires only one-fourth of the fiber required by four
10 Gb/s systems.
''Both Lucent and MCI WorldCom recognize the power of optical networking and the role it will
play in the future of communications,'' said Gerry Butters, president of Lucent's Optical
Networking Group. ''Lucent already has demonstrated its leadership in delivering Dense Wave
Division Multiplexing (DWDM) systems supporting up to 80 wavelengths on a single fiber.
Now, with the WaveStar 40G Express, we will help develop networks in which single
wavelengths can transmit up to 40 gigabits per second -- driving even faster toward our goal of
making terabit networking a reality.''
The WaveStar 40G Express is being developed by a team in Lucent's new Optical Networking
Center of Excellence in Nuremberg, Germany. Lucent plans to demonstrate the system in October
at Telecom '99 in Geneva, Switzerland, and make it commercially available by March 2000.
Continuing to enhance Bell Labs' optical resume
Developed by Bell Labs, the WaveStar 40G Express is being designed for multi-wavelength
applications with the WaveStar OLS 400G -- Lucent's 80-channel DWDM system -- to provide a
capacity of more than a terabit per second (one trillion bits) on a single fiber strand. The
WaveStar 40G Express initially will be offered in a point-to-point configuration and will be
optimized for use over Lucent's TrueWave® fiber to provide the most economical,
longest-distance transmission. Planning also is underway for later versions of the system that
will directly support SONET and SDH self-healing ring capabilities.
Bell Labs has garnered more than 1,600 patents in optical technology. With approximately 2,000
Optical Line Systems installed, Lucent has the largest deployment of DWDM equipment
worldwide. Lucent's industry-leading WaveStar OLS 400G currently provides up to 400 Gb/s of
capacity on a single fiber strand. Lucent's WaveStar AllMetro(TM) OLS, introduced last month,
is the industry's most flexible, cost-effective series of ''metro'' DWDM products -- providing
carriers up to 50 percent in cost savings.
Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks,
communications systems and software, consumer and 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.
SOURCE: Lucent Technologies
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