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To: tinkershaw who wrote (37032)	12/26/2000 1:23:27 AM
From: BDR	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

<<I know the switching is done optically, but there probably is a need to read the content of the light first on these MEMS devices. >> MEMs are Micro Electro-Mechanical devices, in this case very small mirrors that passively reflect the light beam. The movement of the mirrors (switching) is done electrically. The MEMs, as of today, are incapable of extracting information from the light beam that would tell the mirror where to direct the light and the energy required to redirect the mirror does not come from the light beam but has to be supplied from an external current source. Or at least that is my understanding of the current state of technology. Re: MEMS lightreading.com Just part of a series of articles on Optical Switching lightreading.com What has to be accomplished to get an all optical network: lightreading.com On the elimination of switching and Avanex technology- Even if a proliferation of frequencies on a given fiber allows for a reversion to circuit switching instead of packet switching, switching still has to take place, just less often. You used the analogy of the old-fashioned telephone exchange in an earlier post. When you picked up the phone you were connected with an operator who created a circuit by plugging in a wire at the central exchange dedicated to your conversation with the other party (let's ignore party lines for argument sake). The operator was a human switch and the system only worked for local calls. Long distance required a series of operator assisted connections through a series of exchanges. That copper wire circuit was then dedicated for your use as would one frequency in the system envisioned by Avanex (I think) but switching still has to happen, though it will only need happen once when the circuit is opened. This is my take on the technology offered by Avanex and I stand ready to corrected and educated if I am not understanding it.